Home sweet home! It feels SO good to be back in Dubai and getting into the swing of things again. No matter how well you balance your holiday with food and fitness, it’s inevitable that it’s going to be that little bit unhealthier than your typical routine. I don’t worry about it because life is short, and holidays are there to relax! It doesn’t mean you have to throw everything you know out the window but for a week or two, it’s fine to have a little more flexibility.

Images by Farooq Salik/Motivate

Just before I left for the UK and Spain, I did an interview with Emirates Woman magazine. It was a really lovely feature all about the reasons behind eating clean, the lifestyle it brings and the types of food that go with it! I created a new dish for the feature that encapsulated everything the article was about. Healthy doesn’t have to mean boring and so I wanted something that was nutritious and unique but scrumptious at the same time! Also something that people with any level of cooking experience could create, there’s so much enjoyment in creating your own dishes and you don’t need to be a trained chef to do so…I’m certainly not!

The dish is a Raw Thai Beef salad with peanut dressing and it’s one of my favourites yet! All the vegetables used are uncooked which means they retain their highest nutritional value and add an amazing crunch to the salad. The rare beef is infused with ginger, garlic and lemongrass giving a fresh and healthy take on steak and the peanut sauce brings the whole dish together with sweet and strong flavours. It’s the perfect easy meal, for lunch or dinner, that is filling and completely satisfying! Who ever said eating clean couldn’t be yummy!?

Images by Farooq Salik/Motivate

Thai Beef Salad with Peanut Dressing

 

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Prep time

25 mins

Cook time

5 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Thai Beef Salad with Peanut Dressing

Author: Lean Living Girl

Recipe type: Thai Beef Salad

Serves: 1 serving

Ingredients

Salad (Always Organic where you can)

• 1 large carrot
• 100g of red cabbage
• 100g of fennel
• 1 large cucumber
• 2 radishes
• Large handful of mint leaves
• Options:
• Mint leaves/fresh chilli to garnish.

Beef

• 150g top sirloin steak
• 1 fresh lemongrass
• 1 Tbs fresh chopped ginger
• 1 large garlic clove
• 2 Tbs coconut oil for cooking

Peanut Sauce

• 2 Tbs of any Nut butter (I used almond butter for this)
• 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• ½ fresh red chilli
• 1 Tbs honey
• Juice of 1 ½ limes
• 10g fresh ginger
• Large handful of Coriander Leaves
• 1 tbs soy sauce
• 1 large garlic clove
• Salt & Pepper to season
• 2-3 tbs of Water to loosen dressing as desired.

Instructions

Make the peanut dressing:

1. Chop the red chili, ginger and garlic and add to a blender along with all the remaining ingredients, except water.
2. Blend well and slowly add the water as necessary.
3. Pour into a bowl and keep in the fridge.

Prepare the Salad:

1. Using a Julienne Peeler or mandoline, slice the carrot into ”˜noodles’, discarding the core.
2. Repeat with the cucumber but start by removing the seeds with a small spoon.
3. If you don’t have either of these tools then you can just as easily finely chop and slice with a knife.
4. Finely slice the fennel, radish and cabbage using a mandolin. To prepare the veg: Remove the stalks and outer leaves of the fennel. Remove outer leaves and stem from cabbage. Chop the top and bottom off the radish. Again, if you don’t have a mandoline, you can use a sharp knife instead.
5. Wash and finely chop the mint leaves and add to a bowl along with the rest of the salad ingredients, mix well with a spoon.

Cook the Beef:

1. Peel and finely chop the fresh ginger and garlic.
2. Prepare the lemongrass by chopping off the end and thin part of the stem. Remove the outer layers to leave a smooth cylinder. Then ”˜bruise’ the lemongrass by smashing it with a rolling pin and finely slice.
3. Heat a pan with the coconut oil and add the above ingredients.
4. Leave the flavours to infuse for a few minutes then add the steak and cook on both sides for 2-3 minutes.
5. Remove the steak from the heat and finely slice, discarding the fat.

Plate Up:

1. Gather a handful of the mixed salad and place in the middle of your plate.
2. Evenly place the steak slices around the outer part of the salad.
3. Garnish with a few mint leaves and chopped red chilli if you want added spice.
4. Top with the peanut dressing and serve.

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