Thai Grilled Beef Salad with Toasted Rice Powder

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Charred skirt steak sliced thin against the grain and tossed warm in a punchy lime-fish sauce dressing with shallot, cucumber, and fistfuls of mint and cilantro. Toasted rice powder — raw jasmine rice dry-toasted and ground — is the one step that separates a good beef salad from a great one, adding a nutty, sandy crunch that clings to every slice. It's a 30-minute dinner that eats like a $19 restaurant plate.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb skirt steak, trimmed and cut into 2 or 3 manageable lengths
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 2 tsp neutral oil, plus more for the pan
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, coarsely ground

• 3 tbsp uncooked jasmine or other long-grain white rice

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 to 3 limes)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or light brown sugar
• 1 to 2 tsp Thai chili flakes (phrik phon) or crushed red pepper
• 1 Thai bird chili, thinly sliced (optional, for heat)
• 1 clove garlic, finely grated

• 1 large shallot, very thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths on the bias
• 1/2 English cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, loosely packed
• 3/4 cup mint leaves, loosely packed
• 2 cups tender lettuce leaves, torn, for lining the platter

Instructions

1. Pat the skirt steak very dry with paper towels. In a bowl or zip-top bag, toss it with 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sugar, 2 teaspoons oil, and the black pepper. Let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes while you prep everything else — this is both a marinade and a temper.
2. Make the toasted rice powder: put the raw rice in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast, shaking and stirring almost constantly, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the grains are deep golden-brown and smell like popcorn. Don't rush it on high heat; pale rice tastes like nothing. Cool completely, then grind to a coarse, sandy texture in a spice grinder, blender, or mortar and pestle. You want grit, not flour. Set aside.
3. Whisk the dressing: combine the lime juice, 3 tablespoons fish sauce, palm sugar, chili flakes, sliced chili if using, and grated garlic in a small bowl. Stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste — it should be aggressively sour, salty, and hot, since the beef and vegetables will tame it. Adjust with more lime or sugar as needed.
4. Soak the sliced shallot in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain well. This knocks off the raw bite while keeping the crunch.
5. Heat a grill to high (you should be able to hold your hand 4 inches above the grate for only 2 seconds) or set a cast-iron skillet over high heat with a thin film of oil until it just smokes. Grill or sear the steak for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare, 125 to 130°F at the thickest part. Skirt steak is thin and cooks fast — pull it before you think you should.
6. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and rest 5 to 7 minutes. Meanwhile, line a wide platter with the torn lettuce.
7. Identify the grain of the skirt steak (the long fibers run across the width) and slice across it at a slight angle, about 1/4 inch thick. Skirt steak sliced with the grain is chewy; sliced against it, it's tender. Save any juices on the board.
8. In a large bowl, combine the warm steak slices and board juices with the drained shallot, scallions, cucumber, tomatoes, and about three-quarters of the dressing. Toss with your hands or tongs for 30 seconds so the warm beef drinks up the dressing.
9. Add the cilantro, mint, and 2 tablespoons of the toasted rice powder and toss just twice — no more, or the herbs bruise and the rice powder turns pasty.
10. Pile onto the lettuce-lined platter, spoon the remaining dressing over the top, and shower with another tablespoon of toasted rice powder. Serve immediately, warm, with sticky rice or plain jasmine rice.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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