Thai Beef Salad with Homemade Crisps
What to Do with Leftover Dumpling Wrappers
Serves 4
Adapted from Omnivore’s Cookbook
12 ounce steak (flank, skirt, or sirloin are all good choices)
4 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
Leftover dumpling wrappers (store-bought), at least 2, but you can use up to 10
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
4-8 handfuls salad greens (1-2 handfuls per person)
1 cup fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
¼ cup fresh mint, coarsely chopped
½ cucumber, seeded, and thinly sliced, diced, or a combination of the two
½ red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
½ jalapeno, most seeds removed and diced (optional)
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a medium bowl or plastic bag, combine 3 tablespoons fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon black pepper. Mix everything together and, when well combined, add the steak. Coat the steak in the marinade and let it sit, at room temperature for 20-60 minutes.
As the steak marinades, add 2 tablespoons lime juice, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, and 2 teaspoons brown sugar to a small bowl. Mix the ingredients together until well combined.
To prepare the crisps, cut the dumpling wrappers into bit-sized pieces. Two things to keep in mind when deciding how large to cut the pieces: 1) the crisps will expand a little once they’re baked and 2) you’ll need to coat each piece with oil if you want them to crisp up properly.
Distribute the pieces into an even layer on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Coat each piece with a very small amount of oil, just enough to lightly coat the piece. A spray bottle works well for this step. You can also use a basting brush or your clean fingers. Sprinkle salt over the crisps.
Once the pieces are ready, bake them for 7 minutes. Quickly open the oven to check their progress. You want the edges of the crisps to be golden brown and you’ll start to see small air bubbles on the surface. This happens quickly so be vigilant while baking the crisps. When they’re done, remove from the oven immediately and let them cool. Set aside.
When you’re ready to cook the steak, spill away the marinade the steak was in. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. As the skillet is heating up, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the skillet is hot, add the steak to the skillet and let it sear, undisturbed, for 4 minutes, with the lid on. Flip it and cook it for an additional 3 minutes, with the lid on. Remove the steak from the skillet and let it rest, covered, for 10 minutes before cutting into it. Thinly slice the steak against the grain.
To make the salad, use a bowl or bistro bowl and add 2 handfuls of salad greens to each bowl and equally distribute the cucumbers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, jalapenos, mint, and cilantro amongst the bowls. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the dressing in each bowl and mix everything together until the dressing has coated everything. Equally distribute the steak amongst the salads and top with dumpling crisps.
Enjoy!
