Last night the vegetarians and cilantro-haters in my family were all
away, so I got to make something just for me. I don't participate
much in this newsgroup, but I enjoyed this so much that I thought I
should share it with you.

Thai Beef Salad (Serves 4)

3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cilantro (coriander) roots, chopped
1/2 tsp. black peppercorns
2 tbsp. oil

1 lb. sirloin steak
1 tbsp. oil
1 head green leaf or other lettuce, washed, torn into pieces
6 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
3 oz. cucumber, sliced thin
4 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves)

Dressing

2 tbsp. nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. chopped fresh red chile
2 tsp. brown sugar

Combine the first 4 ingredients in a mortar and smoosh them into a
paste with the pestle. Smear the steak with the paste, top and
bottom.

Make the dressing: Combine dressing ingredients and stir until sugar
is dissolved.

Sear the steak: Heat the 1 tbsp. oil in a heavy skillet over fairly
high heat until smoking. Drop the steak in and leave it undisturbed
for 3-4 minutes. There will be a fair amount of smoke, so turn on the
exhaust fan or remove the batteries from your smoke detector till
you're done :-) Turn the steak over and do the other side for another
3-4 minutes, then remove to a plate and let cool. What you're after
is an almost burned outside and a warm, but raw or damn close to it,
inside.

Make the salad:

Spread the lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and scallions on one large
plate or 4 individual-serving-sized ones.

Slice the steak thinly and distribute on top of the salad. Sprinkle
the chopped cilantro on top, then drizzle the dressing over that.
Serve immediately.

(I made ~ 1/2 recipe and it was definitely enough for two people, or
in my case, one dinner and today's lunch!)

--
Silvar Beitel