Thai beef salad
Juicy seared steak tossed warm with lime, fish sauce and chili, then piled with cucumber, tomato and handfuls of fresh herbs.
- 35 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $7.04 a serving
- 450 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- ¾ lb sirloin steak, about 1 inch thick
- 3 tbsp fish sauce, divided
- 2 limes, juiced
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 1 cucumber, sliced into half-moons
- 2 Roma tomatoes, cut into wedges
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup cilantro, leaves
- ¼ cup fresh mint, leaves
- 3 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Each serving has about 450 calories, 41 g protein, 29 g carbs and 21 g fat, and costs about $7.04 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No sirloin steak? New York strip steak or ribeye steak works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cucumbers? English cucumbers or mini cucumbers work.
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No romaine lettuce? Green leaf lettuce or iceberg lettuce or butter lettuce works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the steak dry, rub it with 1 teaspoon of the fish sauce and the pepper, and keep it covered in the fridge while you make everything else.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Food safety: Wash your hands, the board and the knife with hot soapy water after touching raw meat, and don’t rinse raw chicken in the sink.
the lime juice, the rest of the fish sauce, the brown sugar, garlic and pepper flakes until the sugar dissolves.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: Taste it. It should be sour first, then salty, then a little sweet and hot. Adjust with more lime or sugar.the cucumber, cut the tomatoes into wedges, the onion, pick the herb leaves and the lettuce.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Chop. Chopping means cutting food into bite-size pieces that don’t need to be neat. Keep them roughly the same size so everything cooks evenly.
How you’ll know: Your pieces are about half an inch and roughly alike, even if none of them are pretty.
Heat the oil in a heavy over medium-high until it , then lay the steak in and 4 minutes without moving it.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Sear. Searing means cooking the outside of meat or fish in a hot pan, without moving it, until a deep brown crust forms. The crust is packed with flavor, and it only forms on a dry surface.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the moment it goes in, and it lets go of the pan on its own when the crust is ready.
Medium-high heatTimer: 4 min
Flip and cook 3 to 5 minutes more, until the middle reads 145°F. Move it to a board and let it 5 minutes.
Rest. Resting means letting cooked meat sit for a few minutes before you cut it. It keeps cooking gently, and more of the juice stays in the meat instead of running onto the board.
How you’ll know: Loosely covered with foil, it stays hot, and very little juice runs out when you slice it.
Medium-high heatTimer: 9 min
Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
the steak thinly against the grain and it, with any juices from the board, in half the dressing.
Slice. Slicing means cutting food into flat pieces of about the same thickness. Even slices cook evenly, so none are raw while others burn.
How you’ll know: Lay a few side by side: they’re close to the same thickness from one end to the other.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Warm beef soaks up the dressing like a sponge. That is what makes this salad so juicy.Add the cucumber, tomatoes, onion and herbs and the rest of the dressing and gently.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pile it over the lettuce and eat right away.
Dolly’s tip: For lunch, pack the dressed beef and vegetables in one container and the lettuce in another. It is meant to be eaten cool, so no microwave needed.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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