Vietnamese Beef Salad with a Ginger and Lime Dressing

Serves 6

Ingredients

For the beef

  • 2 beef fillets
  • 2 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp medium dry sherry
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

For the salad dressing

  • 3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 lime, juice only
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ chilli, minced

For the salad

  • Mixed salad leaves
  • Half a cucumber, thin ribbons
  • 1 mango, thinly sliced
  • 18 cherry tomatoes, halved

 Sunflower oil, for frying

 Method

  1. For the marinade, cut the beef into 2cm strips.  Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, add the beef and coat.  Refrigerate and leave to marinade for as long as you can, at least 30 minutes.
  2. Meantime, to prepare the salad, wash the leaves and tear into bite size pieces.  Place in a bowl and add the cucumber, mango and tomatoes. 
  3. In a jug, mix the salad dressing ingredients together and set aside.
  4. To finish, heat a frying pan and add the oil, heat until searing. 
  5. Add the beef in batches, if necessary, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. 
  6. Sear very quickly on full heat on one side and when brown, turn over.  The beef should still be pink in the centre (or to taste). 
  7. When the beef is ready, remove from the pan immediately and set aside
  8. Mix half of the dressing with the salad leaves.
  9.  Arrange the cucumber ribbons and mango strips alternately on the salad leaves and add the tomatoes and beef in between.
  10.  Drizzle over some dressing.