Name: Grilled beef and eggplant salad
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 2 sirloin steaks (250gm each); 3 tsp vegetable oil; 4 Japanese eggplant (about 250gm), thickly sliced diagonally; 1 cup (loosely packed) each coriander leaves and mint leaves; 1 telegraph cucumber, coarsely chopped; 2 red shallots, thinly sliced; To serve: dried chilli flakes (optional), steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges; Hot and sour dressing; 1 garlic clove; 1 small red chilli (or to taste), coarsely chopped; Juice of 3 limes, or to taste; 60 ml fish sauce, or to taste (¼ cup)

Ingredients

2 sirloin steaks (250gm each)

3 tsp vegetable oil

4 Japanese eggplant (about 250gm), thickly sliced diagonally

1 cup (loosely packed) each coriander leaves and mint leaves

1 telegraph cucumber, coarsely chopped

2 red shallots, thinly sliced

To serve: dried chilli flakes (optional), steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges

Hot and sour dressing

1 garlic clove

1 small red chilli (or to taste), coarsely chopped

Juice of 3 limes, or to taste

60 ml fish sauce, or to taste (¼ cup)

Method

Main

1.Heat a char-grill pan (or barbecue) over high heat, brush steaks with 1 tsp oil and eggplant with remaining oil. Char-grill steaks, turning occasionally, until cooked medium-rare (3-5 minutes), remove and set aside to rest (3-5 minutes). Char-grill eggplant until tender (3-5 minutes) and set aside.

2.For hot and sour dressing, pound garlic and a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle to a paste, add chilli and pound to combine. Stir in lime juice and fish sauce, adjust seasoning to taste and set aside.

3.Trim excess fat from steaks, thinly slice and combine in a large bowl with herbs, cucumber, shallot, eggplant and hot and sour dressing. Toss to combine, scatter with chilli flakes and serve with steamed jasmine rice and lime wedges.