Thai Beef Salad

Introduction & method

Salads can often be bland and boring. But not this one - regular salad ingredients are brought to life by a fabulous dressing that blends hot, spicy, sweet and sour elements. Give your taste buds a treat.

Make the dressing

Make a paste of the chilli, garlic and coriander stems. You can either do this by bashing them in a mortar and pestle, or by scraping the back of a chef's knife over them several times. Put the paste in a clean screw-top jar with the rest of the dressing ingredients. Shake vigorously.

Prep the Salad

The lettuce - you can use whatever kind of lettuce you have available, and as many different types as you like. Tear the leaves into small pieces, place them in a bowl and add one tbsp of the dressing. Massage this onto the leaves and get them all coated.
Halve the tomatoes and finely slice the onion. Cut the cucumber in half, scoop out the seeds with a teaspoon and finely dice the cucumber flesh. Finely chop the coriander and mint leaves. Mix all of these ingredients together in a separate bowl. Stir in most of the remaining dressing.

Cook the steak

You can use any good-quality steak, but try to get a thick piece that will slice well. Cut off any excess fat. Coat both sides of the steak with oil and season with salt and pepper. Heat a griddle pan until it is smoking then place the steak in it. Cook for five minutes each side. Cooking time may vary depending on how thick the steak is and how rare you like it. Remove from the pan and place on a warmed plate tented in foil to rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice the beef across the grain. Stir it into the salad mix.

Serve the salad

Place the lettuce on a platter and pile the beefy salad on top of it. Garnish with the chopped nuts (whatever types of nuts you like) and whole coriander and mint leaves. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.