Thai Beef Salad

A little different in preparation to your normal Thai Beef Salad, this recipe marinates the cooked beef slices in a spicy, sweet-sour Thai sauce—which then doubles as the salad dressing. Super simple, using only store-cupboard ingredients and fresh herbs, you can whip this up in no time.

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Marinating Time: Up to you! (from 10 minutes to overnight)

Ingredients

For the Dressing / Marinade

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup brown sugar (see note 2)

• ½ cup white vinegar

• 2 teaspoons minced chili (jarred is fine)

• 3 tablespoons ready-made sweet chili sauce

• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)

• 1 bunch coriander (see note 3) – stems finely chopped, leaves reserved for garnish

For the Beef

• 400 g beef steak – rump, scotch fillet, or eye fillet (see note 1)

• Olive oil, for drizzling

• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

For the Salad (see note 4)

• 1 packet baby spinach and rocket mix

• 1 punnet cherry tomatoes (whole or halved)

• ½ Lebanese cucumber, cut into small dice

• ¼ red onion, finely sliced (for garnish)

For Garnish

• Cashews (see note 5)

• Purchased fried shallots (optional)

• Reserved coriander leaves

  
  

Method

1. Start the dressing – Finely chop the coriander stems. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, and fry the coriander stems for 1 minute until fragrant.

2. Make the marinade base – Add the water, brown sugar, vinegar, minced chili, and sweet chili sauce to the pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the fish sauce (if using), then remove from heat and set aside.

3. Cook the beef – Heat a frying pan over high heat. Cut your steak into thin strips, season well with salt, pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Quickly fry the strips until just sealed and browned (work in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan).

4. Marinate – As the beef strips are cooked, transfer them directly into the saucepan with the dressing.

   • Make-ahead tip: You can prepare up to this point a day ahead and let the beef marinate overnight in the fridge.

   • Short on time? Leave it to marinate while you prep the salad ingredients.

   • Important: If marinating for more than 30 minutes, Remove beef and marinade to a class bowl and cover tightly, refrigerate. Always bring the meat and marinade back to room temperature before continuing.

5. Assemble the salad base – On a serving platter, arrange the spinach / rocket mix, top with cherry tomatoes (whole or halved), and scatter over the diced cucumber.

6. Finish the dressing – Using tongs, remove the beef strips from the marinade and place them on top of the salad. Return the remaining marinade to the hot plate and bring to a rapid boil for 5 - 10 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Allow to cool a little, then spoon some over the salad.

7. Garnish and serve – Scatter over the sliced red onion, cashews, chopped coriander leaves, and fried shallots (if using). Serve immediately, with the extra sauce on the side.

   
   

Notes

1. Beef choice – Use good-quality steak: rump, scotch fillet (thin scotch fillet steaks from Coles work beautifully), or eye fillet.

2. Brown sugar – If you don't have any brown sugar, Caster sugar works well, but brown sugar gives a deeper, caramel-like flavour that really lifts this dish.

3. Coriander haters – If you really dislike coriander, substitute with Thai basil or mint. Do not fry the stalks – just add the fresh leaves to the finished salad.

4. Salad variations – The veg are totally flexible! Use whatever you have on hand – capsicum, snow peas, grated carrot, or any lettuce variety all work well.

5. Nut swap – Chopped peanuts make a great substitute for cashews if preferred.