Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Thai Beef Salad, Take it Off Food #4


Cooking (and thinking about cooking) to me, is therapeutic. When all else seems crazy with the world, I get lost in freshly picked basil, chili peppers, brown sugar and soy. I get lost in the sound of chopping onions, cracking eggs and whisking a sauce over the stove. So... when there's a lot going on in my life (so much so I don't know where to begin)...the kitchen grounds me and serves as an escape...if only for a little while.

Tonight's escape was this Spicy Thai Beef Salad. Number 4 in my series, Take It Off ...this skirt steak salad was so full of sweet-n-spicy flavors, colors and textures ...your senses (I promise you) will not miss the carbs!

Oh FYI - I finally started a Design Wine and Dine Facebook Page hope you'll visit me there! Just click the link above or on the Facebook badge on the sidebar!

*Flank steak, filet, etc...can be used in place of skirt steak

Spicy Thai Beef Salad Dressing
Adapted over time from recipes found on the Web (I'm always adjusting but you will NOT go wrong with this combination of flavors!)

Ingredients:
3-4 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Zest from 1/2 the lime
1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2-4 tablespoon soy sauce (to taste)
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-2 tablespoon brown sugar (depends how sweet - to taste)
1 hot pepper (Thai, Serrano or jalapeno) seeded and diced fine (leave out if do not care for spicy)
1 tablespoon fresh ginger peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely sliced
1 shallot thinly sliced
1 tablespoon fresh mint,basil (Thai if possible) and cilantro chopped (I didn't have cilantro and I missed it - but it's optional)

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Serve atop the salad. Can be made in advance.

Skirt Steak:
We simply salt and peppered 1 lb. of skirt steak and cooked on the grill 3-4 minutes each side until medium rare. Let sit 5 minutes after cooking and cut across the grain into strips.

Spicy Thai Beef Salad Preparation:
We added grilled thin asparagus and sliced plum tomatoes to 2 heads fresh, chopped Romaine lettuce. Topped with the steak strips, tomato, asparagus and dressing over top. Garnished with additional mint, Thai basil, sliced scallion and thinly sliced hot pepper slices.

5 comments:

Katerina said...

I like Thai food and this salad looks great.

Syd said...

Yes, yes, YESSSS. Diet food with FLAVOR. Thank you!

chow and chatter said...

looks wonderful great idea to make a salad in the heat lol

Unknown said...

Thanks guys! It is perfect for the summer and is great for watching your weight! We loved it!

sweetlife said...

great salad, we love thai flavors..

sweetlife