Grilled Beef & Romaine Salad Thai-Style
Submitted by gswiedman
Thai-style grilled beef salad with charred sirloin over crisp romaine, cucumber, radishes, and herbs, tossed in a fiery fish sauce and chili dressing. A bright summer main in 30 minutes.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
10 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minThai-style grilled beef salad built for summer. Charred slices of sirloin get tossed warm through cool, crunchy romaine, cucumber, radishes, tomato, and red onion with a generous handful of fresh basil and cilantro. The dressing is a bracing mix of fish sauce and powdered chili that hits salty, funky, and spicy all at once.
Closer to a Thai yum nuea than an American steak salad. The warm beef wilts the greens just slightly and releases its juices into the dressing, which collects at the bottom of the bowl. Don’t let those juices go to waste. Spoon them back over each serving.
Serve with hot jasmine rice or long crusty bread to soak up the sauce. Best assembled right before eating so the greens stay crisp.
Pro Tips
- Slice the beef across the grain into half-inch strips. Thicker slices go chewy; thinner slices dry out fast.
- Get the grill screaming hot. You want char on the outside and pink inside, done in about 2 minutes a side.
- Tear the basil leaves rather than chopping. Chopping bruises the leaves and turns them black.
- Add fresh lime juice to the sauce for brightness. Fish sauce and chili alone are missing acid.
Variations
- Swap sirloin for flank steak, skirt steak, or grilled chicken thighs.
- Add a tablespoon of palm sugar or brown sugar to the sauce for authentic Thai sweet-salty balance.
- Toss in a handful of toasted rice powder for texture, the traditional Thai move.
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare a charcoal or other grill for cooking the meat.
This should be done before starting to prepare the ingrediences.
Thinly slice the cucumbers and radishes.
Cut scallions into 1-inch lengths. Prepare all the greens as indicated and combine in a salad bowl.
Brush meat with oil.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Grill meat on both sides, about 2 minutes to a side or longer, depending on the desired degree of doneness.
Quickly, while the meat is still hot, cut the slices into ½ inch strips and add them to the greens.
If there are any accumulated meat juices, add them to the sauce.
Pour the sauce over all and toss. Serve immediately with hot rice or long loaves of bread.
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