My O My.. Best Thai Beef Salad Ever!

KitchenManiac's Note:

This is one of the best Thai salads I have ever tasted and I just had to share it with my zaar family. Try it, you won't regret it. You can substitute the beef with the same amount of Pork fillets, chicken breasts or thigh fillets, or some firm tofu. When preparing this salad in advance, cook the beef, prepare the salad, and make the dressing, BUT STORE EACH IN SEPARATE CONTAINERS. Do NOT combine until you are ready to serve. This is an ideal portable lunch or picnic dish that can be transported in 3 small containers, and assembled on the spot.

• Total Time: 15 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 30 ounces sirloin steaks, trimmed (rump or fillet)
• 7 ounces salad greens (any kind)
• 2 small red onions, finely sliced
• 10 kaffir lime leaves, shredded
• 3 large mild red chilies, seeded and shredded (can add more if you like a BIG punch)
• 2/3 cup cilantro leaf (coriander)
• 2/3 cup mint leaf
• 2/3 cup basil leaves

DRESSING

• 1 teaspoon soya sauce
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar or 2 tablespoons palm sugar

Directions:

1. Brush the beef with a little oil and char-grill, barbecue, or pan-fry till cooked to your liking.
2. (I recommend medium rare for this recipe, if you can handle a little blood.) Set aside for five minutes and slice it thinly.
3. Place salad greens, onions, kaffir lime leaves, chili, cilantro, mint and basil into a salad bowl and toss lightly.
4. To make the dressing, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice and sugar.
5. Stir the dressing well.
6. Place the beef on the salad and pour over the dressing.
7. Serve immediately.

Reviews

[Chap Heng]

I must say that this is a wonderful recipe. When I made this the first time I had a taste of the dressing just to make sure and I thought I was headed for a disaster given its weird taste, a sourish and saltish flavor. But when I started tossing the greens together the aroma of the different spices was heavenly! When I combined the greens and the dressing, the taste was wonderful! I was so wrong about the taste! I've replaced beef with roast chicken and it tastes just as great. I made this for a party and separated it into three parts since I have vegetarian friends coming over and they loved it! It makes a great vegetarian salad.

[Hey Jude]

My O My, this was a very good dish! I too was unsure about the dressing, the aroma of the fish sauce alarmed me. But, once everything is pulled together and you take a bite, WOW, your taste buds are assaulted with sweet, sour, salty, spicy..all at once. It's wonderful! I used a bag of "spring mix" greens from the grocery store here in the Chicago area, and followed the recipe as KitchenManiac writes it. Great recipe KM, thanks a lot for another great recipe!

[dustymar]

Phenomenal! I had some leftover steak and sliced it thinly. I don't usually repeat recipes but I plan to make this one often (and try it with pork and chicken sometimes as well). This is easy to pull together and would make a great buffet dish. Mmmmmmm!