Thai Beef Salad

Ingredients

Steak and Marinade

• 500g rump steak
• 90g vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons freshly minced ginger
• 2 clove garlic
• 3 star anise
• grated zest from an orange
• 1 stalk lemongrass, finely, diced
• 6 tablespoons dark soy sauce

For the Dressing

• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 shallot, thinly, sliced
• 1 garlic, clove, minced
• 1 red chili, de-seeded and sliced thinly
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped lemongrass
• 1 inch piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 kaffir lime leaf, julienned
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the Salad

• generous handfuls of spinach leaves
• sprinkled with coriander, mint, basil and parsley
• 1 green mango or cherry tomoatoes
• 60g peanuts, crushed and toasted
• 3 shallots, deep-fried 
• vegetable oil for frying
• rice vermicelli

Directions

Steak and Marinade

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients with the vegetable oil, and rub into the steak. Place in a deep dish, cover with cling wrap and marinate overnight.
2. Fry steak over high heat, sear both sides for 3 or 4 minutes each side, until golden brown in colour. Rest steak for a few moments before slicing into thin strips.
3. Place sliced steak and reserve juices together in a bowl.

For the Dressing

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the shallots, garlic, chilli, lemongrass, ginger and lime leaves for 2 minutes. Add the fish sauce, limejuice, sugar and water and simmer over a low heat for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool and pass through a fine chinois (or sieve). 
2. Reserve flavours to use as a garnish for the salad.

For the Salad

1. Wash spinach leaves thoroughly and place in a large bowl with corriander, mint, basil and parsley. Toss with mango, cherry tomatoes and fried shallots. Lightly mix in the dressing.
2. Heat vegetable oil in frypan. Fry small quantities of rice vermicelli. Drain on absorbent paper.
3. Arrange the salad greens on a plate an place thinly sliced beef neatly on top. Sprinkle with toasted peanuts and place rice vermicelli on top.