Thai Steak Salad: Spicy and Fresh

Thai Steak Salad is just about the best hot-ass weather meal there is. It's crunchy, fresh, and healthy - and best of all, it requires a very minimal amount of preparation. Go and make it now, you nutball. Unless you're a Hindu. I guess that's cool.

INGREDIENTS (For four servings)

Four thin steaks, whatever looks tastiest at the market.
2 or 3 limes
Shitake mushrooms
Coleslaw mix
Lettuce of your choice
Red pepper
Cherry tomatoes
Fish sauce
Green onions/scallions, chopped
Basil
Mint


Whisk together lime juice, vegetable or olive oil, fish sauce, brown sugar, half the chopped green onion, soy sauce, chili paste (Sambal) and some shredded basil in a big ol' bowl. Toss in your steaks and let them marinade. 30 minutes is minimum, and an hour or more is best. You want the flavor to permeate entirely.

in a medium bowl. Place steak in a food storage bag with half of the marinade or non-reactive bowl with cover. Marinate 30 minutes. Reserve remaining marinade in a small bowl; refrigerate.



When you're ready to eat, cook the steak to your desired level of doneness. Mega-rare is always best but I cannot control you via the Internet.

Make your salad. I like to use a combination of coleslaw mix - shredded cabbage and carrot - and some nice crisp romaine or butter lettuce. You can follow your heart on this measure. Good additions:

Slender red pepper strips, sliced cherry tomatoes, raw red onion, bean sprouts, shredded mint, shredded basil, crushed peanuts.

All will make matters more awesome.

Add some sliced red Thai chili if you're a heat-freak. Don't warn people if you're just one of them sadists.



Get your sliced mushrooms - shitakes are best- and toss them into the pan, along with some of the leftover marinade and the chopped green onion. You can add some zucchini if you're feeling especially feisty, or if you're just a stinking vegetable whore, like yours truly. Saute until tender. Turn the heat off, then toss in the sliced steak, mixing it with the mushrooms and the sauce, and getting a bit of heat on it. Bam. You're done!

Put the steak on top of the salad or serve out individual portions. You're the boss, you push that salad around, you have your way with it, etc etc. Enjoy, preferably outside, even more preferably by a very attractive swimming pool. I am afraid to say I cannot promise you Phuket or steaming subtropical jungles. I don't work miracles.


I served this with some sauteed broccoli with ginger, soy sauce, and sesame. Yum.