Herby Thai-Style Beef Salad

Serves: 2
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 8–10 minutes

Tender slices of seared beef are tossed with crisp vegetables, plenty of fresh herbs and a vibrant lime dressing for a fresh, flavour-packed salad that's perfect for a quick lunch or light dinner.

Ingredients

FOR THE BEEF
300 g beef rump steak or sirloin
1 tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE DRESSING
2 tbsp lime juice
1½ tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
1 small red chilli, finely sliced

FOR THE SALAD
1 baby cos lettuce, leaves separated
1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
150 g cherry tomatoes, halved
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
½ small red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup coriander leaves
½ cup mint leaves
¼ cup Thai basil leaves
2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly chopped

Method

Remove the steak from the refrigerator 20 minutes before cooking. Season generously with salt and pepper.
Heat a large frying pan, grill pan or barbecue over high heat. Add the oil and cook the steak for 3–4 minutes on each side for medium-rare, or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate, loosely cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before slicing thinly across the grain.
Meanwhile, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic and chilli until the sugar has dissolved.
Arrange the lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, spring onion, red onion, coriander, mint and Thai basil on a large serving platter or in a bowl. Top with the sliced beef, drizzle over the dressing and gently toss to combine.
Scatter with the roasted peanuts and serve immediately with lime wedges, if desired.