Emeril Lagasse’s Thai-Style Beef Salad

This dish is inspired by the Thai classic but has been adapted for the grill and the American home cook. My friend Angela, whose heritage is part Thai, turned us onto this in the test kitchen. Talk about good and simple!

Thai-Style Beef Salad
(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• One 1 ¾-pound flank steak
• Emeril’s Original Essence or Creole Seasoning, to taste
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons jasmine rice
• ¼ cup Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc nam), or to taste
• ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
• ¼ cup thinly sliced green onion tops
• ¼ cup thinly sliced shallots
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 4 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage
• 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
• 1 cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal, for garnish

Directions

1. Season flank steak with Original Essence on both sides.
2. Place steak in gallon-size resealable plastic bag, add olive oil and Worcestershire, seal bag.
3. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
4. Preheat grill or broiler to medium-high.
5. Place jasmine rice in small skillet and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until toasted, golden brown, and fragrant, 6 to 7 minutes.
6. Transfer rice to plate and let cool.
7. When rice has cooled, place in clean coffee grinder or spice mill, process to fine powder.
8. Set rice powder aside.
9. Remove steak from marinade (discard marinade).
10. Grill steak for 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare.
11. Remove it from grill and let rest for 10 minutes.
12. Thinly slice steak against grain, reserving any accumulated juices.
13. Place fish sauce, lime juice, reserved steak juices, green onions, shallots, cilantro, mint, ground jasmine rice, sugar, and crushed red pepper in bowl; whisk to combine.
14. In another mixing bowl, combine cabbages with 3 tablespoons of dressing.
15. Toss well, and arrange on platter.
16. Toss steak with remaining dressing, arrange steak slices and dressing over top of cabbage.
17. Serve immediately, garnished with cucumber slices

Recipe by Emeril Lagasse, from Emeril at the Grill, Harper Studio Publishers, New York, 2009, courtesy Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc. Photo by Steven Freeman