Thai Beef Salad
User Reviews
5
Thai Beef Salad
Description
This Thai Beef Salad begins by preparing a dressing of finely minced bird's eye chili, garlic, and cilantro stems ground into a paste, balanced with sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, and grapeseed oil. The dressing offers a balance of spicy, salty, sour, and sweet notes typical of Thai cuisine.
The beef steak is seasoned with salt and pepper, then cooked in a hot skillet to medium rare or desired doneness, followed by resting to retain juices. Slicing against the grain produces tender, easy-to-chew strips. The salad combines the beef with mixed lettuce, halved cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion, cucumber slices, cilantro, and mint for freshness and crispness.
Chopped roasted peanuts and extra herbs garnish the dish, adding crunch and herbal aroma. This salad pairs well as a light main course or as part of a multi-dish meal, showcasing the harmony of Thai salad flavors and textures. The recipe notes offer guidance on chili heat level and steak cuts and emphasize the importance of resting and slicing steak properly, reflecting careful preparation for optimal flavor and tenderness.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 tsp bird's eye chili deseeded and finely minced (Note 1, or Thai chili
- 1/4 tsp garlic 1/2 small clove, finely minced
- 1 tbsp cilantro stems or coriander stems, finely chopped
- 2 1/4 tsp white sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp grapeseed oil (or canola or vegetable oil)
- 1 small pinch kosher salt cooking salt
Salad
- 7 - 8 oz / 200 - 250 g beef steak at room temperature (Note 2, sirloin, good quality
- 1 tbsp neutral cooking oil vegetable, peanut or canola oil, generic cooking oil
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 heaped cups lettuce mixed leaves
- 10 cherry tomato halved
- 1/4 red onion very finely sliced, small
- 1/2 cucumber cut horizontally then cut into slices (about 1/3 cup, optional deseed
- 1/4 cup cilantro lightly packed, or coriander leaves
- 1/4 cup mint lightly packed, leaves
Garnish
- 1/4 cup peanuts roasted, unsalted, finely chopped
- cilantro extra, aka coriander
- mint leaves extra, aka coriander
Instructions
Dressing:
- Place the birds eye chili, garlic, cilantro stems and a small pinch of salt into a mortar and pestle. Grind until a smooth paste forms.
- Add the remaining Dressing ingredients. Adjust sugar, lime juice and fish sauce to taste. Set aside.
- Alternative: Finely mince garlic, coriander and chilli. Use side of knife to smear into paste on cutting board, then shake in jar with remaining ingredients.
Beef:
- Preheat a skillet over high heat until screaming hot and smoking.
- Drizzle the beef with 1/2 tbsp of oil on both sides, then sprinkle with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the beef to your liking (Note 2).
- Cook times: for steak 2cm / 4/5” thick, 2 min on each side for medium rare (until internal temp is 52°C/125°F) OR 2 1/2 min each side for medium (internal temp 57°C/135°F).
- Remove the beef from the skillet onto a plate. Loosely tent with foil and set aside for 10 minutes to rest.
Salad:
- Place lettuce in a bowl, drizzle with 1 tbsp Dressing and toss.
- Slice the beef thinly against the grain (Note 2) and place in a bowl with the remaining Salad ingredients. Dress with most remaining Dressing and toss gently.
- Pile dressed lettuce onto plate(s), pile over beef and other salad ingredients.
- Sprinkle with peanuts and garnish with extra cilantro/coriander and mint leaves if using, drizzle with remaining Dressing. Serve immediately!
Notes
- Adjust chili quantity to control spiciness; ½ tsp mild, 1 tsp moderate heat, or less for milder flavor.
- Select high-quality grilling steaks like sirloin, ribeye, or flank for best texture.
- Allow steak to rest 10 minutes after cooking to retain juices before slicing.
- Slice the beef across the grain to maximize tenderness.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 2Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 384 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 326g | |
| Calories | 384cal | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 13.5g | 5% |
| Protein | 38.1g | 76% |
| Fat | 19.9g | 31% |
| Saturated Fat | 4.4g | 22% |
| Cholesterol | 101mg | 34% |
| Sodium | 1553mg | 65% |
| Potassium | 860mg | 18% |
| Fiber | 2.4g | 10% |
| Sugar | 7.6g | 15% |
| Vitamin A | 750IU | 15% |
| Vitamin C | 14.9mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 60mg | 6% |
| Iron | 24.8mg | 138% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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