Thai Beef Salad

In 1986, Craig Claiborne wrote about “an exceptional sauce ‘borrowed’ from the cuisine of Thailand, where it is known as nam pla, and Vietnam, where it is known as nuoc mam.” This fish sauce is made with an essence of anchovies. Claiborne said one of its best uses was in the preparation of this salad.

Ingredients

• ½ pound lean, tender beef, preferably fillet of beef
• 2 tablespoons corn, peanut or vegetable oil
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
• ½ cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
• 8 sprigs fresh coriander with stems and leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
• 8 cups reasonably packed romaine lettuce leaves broken into fairly large, bite-size pieces
• 1 cup coarsely chopped, trimmed scallions, green part and all
• 1 whole cucumber, about 1/2 pound, peeled and cut into thin rounds
• 2 medium-size tomatoes, about 3/4 pound, cored and cut into small wedges
• 1 medium-size red onion, about 1/2 pound, cut into thin rings

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

    184 calories; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 24 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 18 grams protein; 35 milligrams cholesterol; 2856 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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4 servings

Preparation

1. Preheat a charcoal grill or preheat the oven broiler to high.
2. Rub the beef with the oil and set aside.
3. Combine the lime juice, fish sauce and garlic and set aside.
4. Cut off the stems of the fresh coriander. Set the tender leaves aside. Chop the stems finely and add them to the lime juice mixture. Add the hot red-pepper flakes.
5. Put the lettuce leaves, scallions, cucumber rounds, tomato wedges and red onions in a salad bowl.
6. Put the meat on the hot grill or under the broiler and grill or broil to the rare stage.
7. When the meat is cooked to the desired degree of doneness, place it while it is still hot on a board and slice it as thinly as possible. Add the hot meat to the salad bowl. Stir the sauce well and pour it over all. Toss to blend, and serve immediately.

About 15 minutes