Asian Chilli and Lime Beef Salad

A lovely big jug of Pimms

Back home after a little Christmas road trip.  Auckland to Te Puke for Christmas...thank you Jenneke, Dan, Erna, Simone, Frances, Mike and co. for a wonderful Christmas Day.  And what a feast we had...

Freshly caught and smoked trout

Smoked salmon platter

Being Summer here we veered away from tradition except for the ham, got to have a ham, and we had a veritable seafood bounty.  To start, freshly caught and smoked trout, a smoked salmon platter with all the trimmings, red onion, caper and a mustard dip.  Prawns quickly grilled on the BBQ, little vol au vents filled with chicken,  mushroom and thyme ragu.  Plus cheese platter with homemade chutneys and relishes and some Orange and Thyme Chicken Liver Pate.

Then it was up the coast to Whitianga in the Coromandel to catch up with friends and where I had the pleasure to meet one amazing lady.  My friend Ceeann's, Nana...a true inspiration.  Almost 95, still living at home, still working a couple of days in the local opp shop (second hand shop), playing lawn bowls, card nights and out to dinner once a month.  One truly amazing lady, and having heard about her over all these years it was a real pleasure to finally get to meet her.

After all the feasting on far too much good food and wine, and with  Hogmanay just around the corner with more indulging to come, on return from my Christmas road trip I was in the mood for light and healthy.  I wanted crunch and flavour so this Asian inspired salad hit the spot.  Full of flavour from the marinade and the dressing and a little light relief!

Asian Chilli and Lime Beef Salad

Ingredients

Serves 4

For the steak

4 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp Mirin (or you could use sherry)
1 red chilli, finely chopped

1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped

1 garlic clove crushed
500 g (1 lb) rump steak

Salt and pepper

For the Salad

You can tweak here to suit your taste or whatever you have on hand, colourful and crunchy works well.

1/2 a cos or romaine lettuce, roughly chopped
1/2 a cucumber, sliced in to half moons, seeds taken out, just run a teaspoon along the middle
2 carrots, julienned
4 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 red pepper, julienned

1/2 yellow pepper, julienned

Bunch of herbs - mint, basil, coriander - roughly chopped

Chilli Lime Dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Zest of one lime
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp Mirin (or sherry)
1 tbsp finely diced shallot
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

For the steak: mix together the soy sauce, lime juice, Mirin, red chilli, ginger and garlic in a baking dish large enough to hold the steak. Coat the steak all over and marinate in the fridge for 30 minutes.  Take it out the fridge about 15 minutes before grilling to allow it to come to room temperature.

For the dressing: whisk all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so to let the flavours infuse.

I used a griddle pan, but a frying pan would also work. Remove the steaks from the marinade and pat dry. Season both sides with a little salt and pepper and grill for 2-3 minutes per side until slightly charred for medium rare. If you are not a fan of medium rare just cook a little longer.  Remove from the grill and let the steak rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice into 1/4-inch / 1cm thick slices.

While steak is resting you can make up the salad. Place all the salad ingredients in to a large bowl. Add the steak and half the dressing.  Toss together to lightly coat everything in the dressing.  Drizzle the rest of the dressing over the top and serve immediately.

Bursting with flavour and colour this salad is full of texture and flavour from juicy steak and crunchy vegetables. The dressing is sweet with a little heat from the chilli and then the nutty sesame oil rounds it all off.

Enjoy!