Add a twist to your steak dinner with this all-time classic! Fresh and vibrant, Thai beef salad features juicy steak, crunchy veggies, sweet cherry tomatoes and mixed greens tossed with a punchy, savory dressing. Traditionally, it is topped with coriander leaves and khao khua – roasted rice powder.
Background and Overview:
Technically, this recipe is a hybrid of two Thai classic beef salads, *yum nua* and *nam tok*. One includes a greater amount of vegetables and the other features more herbs and roasted ground rice. The key ingredient in both salads is however the dressing which largely remains the same. It’s all about the balance of sweet (sugar), salty (fish sauce), tart (lime juice) and spicy (chillies). There is no ‘golden rule’ when it comes to proportions – they vary based on personal preferences. I, for one, always go easy on heat as all authentic Thai recipes use chilies very, VERY liberally 😅
Another interesting ingredient in this salad is the rice powder, khao khua. Rice is roasted until golden, sometimes together with aromatics like makrut lime or lemongrass, then ground to a coarse powder. It makes for both a crunchy topping and/or a thickener and is an essential element in many local dishes from soups to salads.
Alternative Ingredients:
In this recipe, I use cherry tomatoes, red radishes, cucumbers and mixed greens to add the elements of sweet, pungent and bitter respectively. I also like how the radishes and cucumbers contribute with a texture that’s both juicy and crunchy at the same time. As long as you maintain the balance of flavours and textures, you can play with the ingredients. For instance, swap radishes for red onion or daikon, pop in bell pepper or sub cucumbers with carrots.
For the dressing, in place of fish sauce you could use a mix of soy and Worcestershire sauces. The latter contains anchovies which allows to retain the umami flavour.
Preparation tips for Thai Beef Salad:
- Use a good quality lean steak such as fillet, striploin or flank steak. Take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking so that it comes to the room temperature. Otherwise, there is a risk of cooked steak remaining cold in the middle. Season with salt and black pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Medium or medium rare steak works best in this salad. The meat juices mix with the dressing, creating deep, delicious flavours.
- Cooking times vary based on the thickness of the cut, but I usually sear the steaks on one side over high heat, then lower the heat and fry on the other side until no blood runs out when poked with a knife.
- When preparing the dressing, first completely dissolve the sugar in hot water, then add the rest of the ingredients.
- Use about 2/3 of the dressing to toss the greens with. Drizzle the rest over the assembled salad.
- Invest as little as 5 minutes to make the rice powder – it really brings in that authentic feel! You can roast just the rice, or add a piece of galangal, lemongrass or makrut lime leaf to the pan for a more aromatic khao khua.
- The rice powder should be coarse to remain crunchy. The easiest way to achieve it is to give the roasted rice a few short pulses in a spice or coffee grinder. Otherwise, you can use a pestle and mortar.
- Scatter the khao khua over the salad after the dressing has been drizzled on so that it preserves its texture.
Serve on its own as a light dinner or alongside white steamed rice for a more substantial meal!
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Thai Beef Salad with Coriander Dressing and Khao Khua
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 250 quality steak tenderloin, striploin or flank steak are all great options
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper mix
- A pack of mixed greens
- 1 cucumber thinly sliced and deseeded
- 4-5 red radishes thinly sliced
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 tbsp fresh coriander leaves
- 1 tbsp fresh mint leaves roughly chopped
For the dressing:
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 1/2 tsp finely chopped bird eye chilies or any other fresh red chili
- 2 coriander stalks with leaves very finely chopped
- 1 clove of garlic minced
For the topping:
- 2 tbsp sticky rice
- 1 makrut lime leaf optional
- 1 lemongrass stalk optional
- 3cm piece of galangal optional
Instructions
For the sauce:
- Dissolve the sugar in hot water, add the other ingredients and mix to combine.
For the khao khua:
- Heat a pan to medium and dry roast the rice with the aromatics (if using) until browned. Let cool for a few minutes, discard the aromatics and grind to coarse powder.
For the steak:
- Take the meat out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking.
- Brush the steak with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Heat the pan to high and sear the steak on one side.
- Turn, lower the heat and cook until medium rare (or to your liking).
- Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and let rest while assembling the salad.
To assemble:
- Combine the greens with mint and coriander leaves and toss with 2/3 of the dressing.
- Add halved cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumbers and radishes and gently stir to combine.
- Slice the steak, add to the bowl and drizzle with the remaining dressing.
- Sprinkle with khao khua.
Notes
- You can also add other vegetables such as red onion, bell peppers or carrots.
- You can replace fish sauce with soy sauce (or a mixture of soy and Worcestershire sauce).
- Medium steak does not last well in the fridge, so this salad is best consumed immediately.
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