Sweet & Salty Beef Salad

FloridaNative's Note:

Here's a salad that showcases the Asian yin and yang philosophy of combining opposing flavors. Mild, crisp iceberg lettuce allows the exotic hot-sweet-sour-salty flavors of the warm dressing to shine. From EatingWell magazine September/October 1991, and "EatingWell Serves Two" -- Dietary Exchanges: 1 fruit, 2 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1 fat. -- Diabetic Exchanges: 2 Carbohydrate Serving -- NOTE: Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian sauce made from salted, fermented fish. It can be found in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 5 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 2

Yield: 2.0 salads

• 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (see Note) or 1 1/2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 head iceberg lettuce, halved, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 teaspoons canola oil, divided
• 8 ounces sirloin steaks, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1 jalapenos or 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 orange, peel and white pith removed, coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon chopped dry roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Stir fish sauce (or soy sauce) and brown sugar in a small bowl. Divide lettuce between 2 plates.
2. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add beef and cook, stirring until browned on the outside and still pink inside, 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon over the lettuce.
3. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, jalapeño (or serrano), onion and garlic to the pan and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add the fish sauce (or soy sauce) mixture, remove from the heat and stir in orange and cilantro.
5. Spoon the sauce over the salad and sprinkle with peanuts.

Reviews

[tracytrebilcox]

This is a winner! However, I combined everything except the lettuce, and it was great that way.