Thai Beef Salad

Ingredients

For the dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce

  • Zest and juice of 1 lime

  • 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar

  • 1/4 cup canola or peanut oil

  • Sriacha, to taste

  • 1 1/2 pounds hanger or skirt steak

  • Salt and pepper

  • Salt and pepper 1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil

  • 1 lime, halved

  • 1/2 bunch mint (3/4 cup loosely packed), roughly chopped or torn

  • 1/2 bunch basil (about 1 cup loosely packed), torn

  • 1 large bunch watercress or upland cress

  • 1 green papaya or papaya, peeled, seeded and very thinly sliced

  • 2 vine tomatoes, seeded and chopped

  • 1 small red onion, quartered and thinly sliced

  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced on bias

  • 1 cup dry roasted peanuts, chopped

  • 1 red chili pepper, thinly sliced or chopped

Directions

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a salad bowl. 

Rub meat with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil. Preheat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Grill steak to medium rare, about 8 minutes, remove and let rest. Caramelize the lime halves cut-side down in skillet, 2 minutes. 

Thinly slice meat. Douse the meat with juice of caramelized lime. 

 Add salad ingredients to the bowl with the dressing and toss. Transfer to platter or plates and top with sliced steak.