Thai Beef Salad

11:30 am on 21 January 2013

(Serves 4)

Time to make: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 cucumber
  • 3 carrots
  • 2 red capsicums
  • 2 cups baby spinach leaves
  • 1 punnet cherry tomatoes
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts, roughly chopped
  • ¼ cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
  • 2 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced
  • 1 ½  cups jasmine or brown rice
  • 500g scotch fillet steak
  • spray oil
  • red chillies, sliced, to serve

Dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons chilli paste (or to taste)
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons hot water

Method

Peel cucumber and slice into thin batons. Peel carrots and use a julienne peeler or regular peeler to make thin ribbons. Slice capsicums thinly. Roughly chop spinach leaves. Halve or quarter cherry tomatoes. Place all vegetables in a large bowl with peanuts, mint and lime leaves.

Cook rice according to packet directions.

Combine dressing ingredients in a jug and stir together well. Set aside.

Heat a barbecue grill or grill pan to high heat. Spray steak with oil and cook for 3 minutes each side, or until done to your liking. Set meat aside on a plate to rest for 5 minutes, then remove to a board and slice into 2cm slices. Pour any meat juices from plate into dressing.

Add dressing to salad and mix well to combine. Serve salad with steak on top and rice on the side. Garnish with extra lime leaves and chillies if desired.

Wine match

Syrah: 2010 Crossroads Winemakers Collection

Gewurtztraminer: 2011 Waimea