by Austin Coe Butler
This recipe is inspired by a Thai dish called Yum Nua, which quickly became a favorite in our house. As it relies on produce that can be grown well even in greenhouses like cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, this Thai beef salad is always satisfying whether it’s been grilled over charcoal on a summer’s day or pan seared on a winter’s night.
The dressing makes this recipe sing. It’s similar to a Vietnamese nuoc cham, a tangy, salty sauce of lime juice, sugar, and fish sauce, but it has the addition of cilantro stems, garlic, and chilis for an herbaceous heat. Unlike parsley or oregano, cilantro stems have almost as much flavor in them as the leaves, and when cut finely or crushed, they’re delightful to eat and not stringy at all. Don’t be afraid of the fish sauce! While this may seem like an unfamiliar ingredient, think of it as a southeast Asian worcestershire sauce. It has a deeply satisfying salty and umami quality that compliments and accentuates meat, vegetables, and, a personal favorite of mine, mushrooms. You can find the Red Boat brand fish sauce in many coops and high-end grocery stores, or a variety of brands at your nearest Asian grocery store. I prefer the Squid brand (it doesn’t contain squid, it’s just called that!)
For the beef, you can use whatever cut you like, but I prefer using longer, thinner cuts like skirt, bavette, flank, or flat iron, all of which we readily carry in the meat case. These cuts benefit from a quick sear and cutting against the grain. If you don’t eat beef, you could substitute pork chops or chicken thighs to great success.
For the salad:
1 lb. beef cut of your choice, but preferably longer, thinner cuts like skirt, bavette, flank, or flat iron.
1 small red onion, sliced thinly
1 English cucumber, deseeded and sliced thinly on a bias
1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
Mixed greens
¼ c. cilantro leaves
¼ c. mint leaves
Crushed peanuts to garnish
For the dressing:
1 tbsp cilantro stems
1 to 2 cloves garlic
3 tbsp fish sauce
3 tbsp lime juice
2 Thai bird’s eye chilis
1 tbsp neutral oil
2 tsp sugar
Salt to taste
Directions
At least 30 minutes before you plan to cook the steak, pull it from the refrigerator to temper it and season generously with salt.
Prepare the dressing. Add the cilantro stems, garlic, Thai chilis, sugar, and just a pinch of salt to a mortar and pestle and work them into a paste. You can also use a food processor. Next, add the fish sauce, lime juice, and oil and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. It should be balanced between the tart acidity of the limes, the salty umami of the fish sauce, and the herbaceous heat of the aromatics.
Prepare the base of your salad. Halve the cucumber and remove the seeds with a spoon, then cut half moons at an angle. If you want to take the edge off the raw red onion, you can place it in a bowl of ice water for a few minutes. I like to lightly salt the tomatoes to draw some of the juices out and add them to the salad dressing, contributing some of their sweetness. Combine all the vegetables including the mixed greens, cilantro leaves, and mint in a large bowl.
Over high heat, grill or pan sear the beef to your desired doneness. For medium rare, that’s about 4 minutes each side. Allow the beef to rest for ten minutes.
Once rested, cut the beef into strips against the grain. This may involve first cutting the beef along the grain into shorter sections and then cutting against the grain. I like to cut the beef at a 45º for wide strips.
Dress the salad to your liking, reserving a few spoonfuls of the dressing. You can either add the beef directly to the salad when you toss it, or you can serve it on top of the tossed salad.
Garnish with more cilantro and mint leaves, the crushed peanuts, and a final, generous spoonful or two of the reserve dressing over the beef. This salad is great warm, room temperature, or cold, so serve it however you’d like!