Beef Salad!

Well hello, my long neglected blog! And blog readers - if any of you are still out there! :)
It has come to my attention just now that my previous post, written waaayyyy back in February, was my 100th post. And I didn't even know it. I was blogging from my phone and never knew.

Sooo, in honor of my 100th post, my 101st post will be about one of my favorite things.

Beef Salad.

Yum.

My Facebook friends have been patiently waiting for me to post the recipe to my husband's delicious recipe. I've tried posting it on here before, but may have gotten the sauce a bit wrong. Let's just say he's had more experience lately in making it so he's pretty much perfected it.

And it truly is perfection. Without further babbling.... here is the "recipe" for our Beef Salad:

The ingredients. (This makes a pretty big batch, probably enough for about 8 big servings):
~ a big, lean chunk of beef steak. Pick your favorite, but not too thick of a cut.
~ fresh veggies. Specifically these:
~ cucumbers
~ bell peppers (I personally think the more colors the better!)
~ red onion
~ tomato
~ mushrooms (fresh. white or baby bellas work well)
~ fresh cilantro
~ fresh, sweet Thai basil. It has a purplish flower at the tip. Might be hard to find outside of an Asian grocery.)
~ Jalapeno or thai chili peppers
~ about 4 fresh limes
~ a few fresh garlic cloves
~ fish sauce (Friendly warning - don't sniff the open bottle. It reeks, but TRUST me, you need this! Here is a photo of the kind we use.)

~ chili garlic sauce (available in most stores, Again, here is the kind we use.)


~ a little white granulated or raw sugar
~ a little salt
~ steamed jasmine rice


Begin by slicing up your veggies into thin strips. Add the fresh cilantro and basil. We usually put them in a couple bowls, and it looks like this when all done:


Next, if you have 2 people, one can grill the steak and the other can make the sauce. If only one person, make the sauce first. Or whatever. Live on the edge and grill first if you like. :) Grill the steak just until it's still a little pink in the middle but no longer bloody. When done, slice it into thin, bite-sized strips. Set it aside if you don't have the sauce ready.

Oh yeah, and don't forget to cook your rice. Not that I ever forget to do that... a-hem....

For the sauce, begin by smashing up the garlic cloves into a near paste-like consistency. Roll your limes to soften them to get the most juice out of them. Or let your kids drop them and play with them while you're slicing the veggies like we do. :) Squeeze the juice into a bowl with the garlic and add about 1/2 cup of fish sauce. Hold your breath if you have to. ;) Add 3 tablespoons of the chili garlic sauce, 1 teaspoon of salt and 2 teaspoons of sugar. If you want it spicier, you can mince the jalapeno or thai chilies and add them right into the sauce.


Once the sauce is mixed up, add the beef strips and marinate them for a bit. Then, add it all to the bowls of veggies and mix it up. Let it sit for a few minutes (if you can, this is the hardest part for me!) to let the flavor develop a bit more. Serve over fresh steamed rice.

Enjoy! And let me know what you think if you try it! :)

Beef Salad

I don't typically post recipes on my blog, but since I love food, and I know lots of other people do, too... well, I decided it was high time to post a recipe on here already! :)

This one is technically my hubby's specialty. It's one of our favorites and is great for the Summer grilling months!

Beef Salad (Cambodian - style)

1. Grill up some steak. Don't overcook it.

2. While steak is grilling, slice up your veggies. (Or maybe you could have someone else slice them so your steak doesn't burn. Um, not that that has ever happened to us.) ;) We use cucumber, red onion, green, red and/or yellow bell peppers, tomato, mushrooms, fresh basil and cilantro. Put veggies aside in a large bowl.

3. Make the sauce. My hubby always does this part, so I don't know exact amounts, as he never measures. Play around with it till you get the taste you like. He sautes some finely chopped garlic in a bit olive oil, then turns off the heat and adds a bunch of fresh squeezed lime juice and some fish sauce. You'll want enough sauce to marinate your cooked steak and to coat your veggies just a bit. (*Note: If you're not used to fish sauce, yes, it will stink when you pour it in. Do NOT sniff the bottle! Ha! But trust me, you need it in there, and it makes the dish so yummy!)

4. Slice up your steak into thin strips and marinate for 10+ minutes in the sauce. Add all (including sauce) to fresh veggies, stir to blend, and serve with Jasmine rice. (If you like it spicier, as my hubby and his brother do, you can add some of those little tiny red or green asian peppers - I don't know their real name, sorry - thinly sliced, but be warned that they add quite the kick!)

5. ENJOY! :)