Name: Seared beef and green papaya salad
Yield: 4 - 6
Ingredients: 3 beef sirloin steaks (about 200gm each), at room temperature; Grapeseed oil or other mild-flavoured oil, for drizzling; 1 green papaya, cut into julienne, crisped in iced water for 10 minutes, drained; 100 gm baby beans, trimmed and sliced diagonally; 70 gm bean sprouts, trimmed; 1 cup (loosely packed) mint; 1 cup (loosely packed) coriander; 2 red shallots, thinly sliced; Thinly sliced small red chilli, to serve; Lime-chilli dressing; 2 tbsp fish sauce; 1 tbsp brown rice vinegar; 1 tbsp coconut sugar (see note); Juice of 1 lime; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 1 small red chilli, thinly sliced, or to taste

Most Thai salads have a fair whack of sugar in the dressing. We’ve pared it back a little here and used coconut sugar instead of refined sugar.

Ingredients

3 beef sirloin steaks (about 200gm each), at room temperature

Grapeseed oil or other mild-flavoured oil, for drizzling

1 green papaya, cut into julienne, crisped in iced water for 10 minutes, drained

100 gm baby beans, trimmed and sliced diagonally

70 gm bean sprouts, trimmed

1 cup (loosely packed) mint

1 cup (loosely packed) coriander

2 red shallots, thinly sliced

Thinly sliced small red chilli, to serve

Lime-chilli dressing

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp brown rice vinegar

1 tbsp coconut sugar (see note)

Juice of 1 lime

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

1 small red chilli, thinly sliced, or to taste

Method

Main

1.Heat a char-grill pan or barbecue to high. Drizzle steaks with oil and grill, turning once, until browned and cooked to your liking (2-3 minutes each side for medium rare). Rest for 5 minutes, then thinly slice across the grain.

2.For lime-chilli dressing, combine ingredients in a bowl with 1 tbsp hot water and stir to dissolve sugar.

3.Combine papaya, beans, bean sprouts, herbs and shallot in a bowl with steak, drizzle with dressing to taste, toss to combine and serve scattered with chilli.

Coconut sugar, produced from the sap of coconut palm flowers, is sold granulated or in a block. It’s available from Asian grocers and health-food shops.
Notes

Styling by Emma Knowles