Thai Beef Salad
A fast, fresh Thai-style beef salad - grilled steak, cold herbs and crunchy cashews tossed through vermicelli with a sharp lime and fish sauce dressing.
Serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
INGREDIENTS
2 thick New York steaks
oil, for grilling
salt, for seasoning
200g rice vermicelli
1 cup mint leaves
1 cup Thai basil leaves
1 cup coriander leaves
1 punnet cherry tomatoes
2 limes
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
¼ cup fried shallots
½ cup roughly chopped salted cashews
chilli flakes, to taste
lime wedges, to serve
METHOD
Soak the rice vermicelli in cold water until very soft, or until you're ready to serve.
Preheat the grill or barbecue. Bring the New York steaks to room temperature, then rub with oil and sprinkle with salt. Grill for about 5 minutes on one side for rare to medium-rare, then flip and grill for a further 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the heat and rest under foil.
Meanwhile, quarter the cherry tomatoes and place them in a large serving bowl. Squeeze over the lime juice. Add the minced garlic, brown sugar and fish sauce to the bowl. Let the mixture macerate while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
Place the mint, Thai basil and coriander leaves in a bowl of iced water to keep them fresh until serving.
Drain the vermicelli and cut into 5 cm strips for easy eating, then drizzle with sesame oil.
Once fully rested, slice the grilled steak into thin strips and season with salt.
Add the vermicelli and steak to the serving bowl with the dressing. Add the shredded iceberg lettuce, herbs, fried shallots and chopped cashews.
Toss everything together to combine. Serve with additional chilli flakes and lime wedges on the side.
HINTS
Rest the steak properly before slicing - cutting in too early lets all the juices run out onto the board instead of staying in the meat.
Keep the herbs in iced water right up until serving so they stay crisp rather than wilting into the warm noodles.
Dress the salad only just before serving - the vermicelli will keep absorbing the lime and fish sauce dressing the longer it sits, and can turn soggy.
NUTRITION (per recipe total, serves 4 - guide only):
Energy: 3600 kJ (860 cal)
Protein: 68 g
Fat: 34 g
Saturated fat: 9 g
Carbohydrate: 62 g
Sugars: 12 g
Sodium: 1350 mg
This nutrition information is a guide only and may vary depending on brands, exact quantities, and ingredient substitutions used.