Thai Beef Salad

Had a lot of fun with this one. You can serve it either with the beef fresh and hot or after chilling for some time. If you have the patience, try to cut the cucumber in long, thin strips- otherwise, slice them on a slight diagonal to get nice big ovals. Same for the carrots (if you can’t buy them shredded/julienned). And, like the other salads this month, pre-bagged lettuce can really speed up this meal.

[Prep: 10min / Cook: 10min]

– 250g/.5lb beef steak
– 4 cups mixed lettuce (something like endive, or even napa cabbage is best)
– 1/2 cup shredded/julienned carrots
– 1/2 cup snow or sugar snap peas
– 1 medium or 3-4 small [thai] cucumbers
– a handful of cherry tomatoes
– a few leaves of fresh mint
– dash of garlic powder
– dash of coriander

Dressing
– 2 Tbs peanut butter
– 2 Tbs sesame oil (olive oil is also ok)
– 1 Tbs lime juice
– 1 Tbs white vinegar
– 1 tsp sweet chili sauce
– 1/2 tsp light soy sauce

1. Slice the beef into thin strips. Stir-fry with garlic and coriander until desired doneness (about 5-10 minutes).
2. Slice the cucumber, cut tomatoes in half and chop the peas.
3. In a large bowl, combine lettuce, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, peas and mint.
4. In a separate bowl, combine all dressing ingredients. Heat in a microwave for about 15-30 seconds to let the peanut butter melt a bit. Mix.
5. Drizzle the dressing on the salad and top with the beef.
6. Ready to eat!

[Serves 2]