Beef Salad

Continuing the Thai theme today, we're having Beef Salad. In restaurants, this is usually called "Yam Nua". We've enjoyed beef salad at a few restaurants, and have found a recipe that we like very much. It seems to be our favorite, even over the restaurant versions made by the pros.

Beef salad is a regular green salad -- usually iceberg lettuce -- with tomatoes, onions, meat (beef skirt steak in this case), served over rice with a spicy, tangy dressing. The best way to describe the way that this dish tastes is that you have four "feelings" happening in your mouth at the same time. You've got the saltiness from the fish sauce, the tangy tart zip from the lime juice, a sweet taste from ginger, and spicy hotness from the chili paste. The combination of these flavors is crucial to the dish, as it is in most Thai dishes. If you overload on any one sensation, your tastebuds will suffer.

Here's our recipe:

Beef Salad

Salad

• Green Leaf Lettuce
• 1 cucumber, sliced
  
• Sliced Tomatoes (1/2 per person)
• 1 Onion, sliced (Red or white)

Dressing

• 3 T fish sauce
• 3 T lime juice (lemon is fine, too)
• 1 T soy sauce
• 1 T water
• 3 T minced garlic
• 1 t ginger
• 1/4 c green onions
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 T chili paste

Rice, we usually cook 2 cups for our family.
Beef, we use skirt steak, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds.

Broil the steak, seasoning with salt & pepper.
Start rice cooking.
Cut up your lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers. Keep in separate bowls so each diner can choose how much of each item they want.
Mix the sauce together. I usually put the ginger in first, then all of the wet ingredients, then the garlic & onions. Whisk together to combine.
Slice the beef into small strips.

Assembling the dish

Start each serving by placing some lettuce in the bowl. Add tomatoes, onions, and cucumbers around the edge. A neat trick is to alternate the tomatoes & cucumbers, this makes a really nice presentation. Next, add pieces of beef, and follow by sprinkling rice over the lettuce, and finish by adding a helping of dressing.

This recipe keeps well in the refrigerator, keeping the ingredients separate. This keeps the lettuce from wilting, and if you prefer the meat warm, you can re-heat it before serving.

Overall Rating: 70 (scale of 100)
Price $1.75 per serving