Herby Thai-Style Beef Salad with Lime Chili Dressing

Ingredients

Tick the ingredients as you go

Dressing

• 1/2 tsp bird's eye or Thai chili, seeded and finely minced
• 1/4 tsp finely minced garlic (about 1/2 small clove)
• 1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro stems
• 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 cooking/kosher salt

Salad

• 200-250 g (7-8 oz) good-quality sirloin or similar steak, at room temperature
• 1 tbsp oil (vegetable, peanut, or canola)
• 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
• 2 heaped cups mixed lettuce leaves
• 10 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber (seeding optional), halved lengthwise and sliced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, lightly packed
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, lightly packed

Garnish

• 1/4 cup finely chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
• Extra cilantro and mint leaves

Instructions

1. 1

   Dressing

   Pound the chili, garlic, cilantro stems, and a small pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle until you have a smooth paste.

   
2. 2

   Stir in the rest of the dressing ingredients. Taste and balance with more sugar, lime, or fish sauce, then set aside.

3. 3

   No mortar and pestle?

   Mince the garlic, cilantro stems, and chili very finely, mash them into a paste on the board with the flat of a knife, then shake everything together in a jar.

4. 4

   Beef

   Get a skillet smoking hot over high heat.

5. 5

   Rub both sides of the steak with 1/2 tbsp of the oil and season well with the salt and pepper. Cook to your liking.

   
6. 6

   For a steak about 2 cm (4/5 in) thick, allow roughly 2 minutes per side for medium-rare (52°C / 125°F inside) or 2.5 minutes per side for medium (57°C / 135°F).

8. 7

   Move the steak to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and let it rest for 10 minutes.

9. 8

   Salad

   Toss the lettuce with 1 tbsp of the dressing.

10. 9

    Slice the steak thinly across the grain. Combine it with the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, cilantro, and mint, pour over most of the remaining dressing, and toss gently.

    
11. 10

    Mound the dressed lettuce on plates and pile the beef mixture on top.

12. 11

    Sprinkle with peanuts and extra herbs, drizzle with the last of the dressing, and serve right away.