Vietnamese Beef Salad

I don't think we have gone particularly overboard in the food department this Christmas, but I was hankering for something nice and light and fresh last night for dinner.  The only trouble was the weather decided to take a change for the cold - but that wasn't going to deter me.

I have been making this beef salad for so long, I don't even remember where I got the recipe for it from now.  Anyway I am sure that I have added and changed the original concept over the years.

Here is my take on a Vietnamese Beef Salad.

Vietnamese Beef Salad


Serves 4

1kg rump steak
4 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs sweet chilli sauce
2 tbs chopped ginger
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 tbs sesame oil
1/2 punnet snow pea sprouts (approx 50g)
1 cup mint leaves, roughly torn
1 cup coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup cashews
1 - 2 punnets cherry tomatoes, halved
1 bag salad mix (approx 200g)

In a large ziploc bag combine the fish sauce, sweet chilli sauce, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil.  Add the beef and allow to marinade for at least 1 hour - longer if possible.

Combine the salad mix with the coriander and mint in a large bowl.

Barbeque the steak for 4-5 minutes each side - but keep the centre pink.  Remove and allow to stand for a couple of minutes.  Slice thinly.

Add the sliced steak to the salad leaves, top with the cashews.

Serve with sweet chilli sauce, if desired.

This is a lovely fresh, light salad.  It is so easy to prepare as well.  This is also a great marinade to make and take away with you when you go on holidays.  You can always get a steak and salad fixings wherever you are!!  If you have the marinade prepared already it makes for a good quick (healthy) meal.

So Dear Readers are you on the healthy food now, after all the Christmas food, or are you still eating leftovers - and what is your favourite Christmas leftover?

Beef and Mushroom Soy and Ginger Skewers

Do you often read a recipe - scan the list of ingredients to make sure you have them all, then just plow headlong into the recipe without having really read the method?  GUILTY!!!  I do it all the time - and then when I finally get to a certain stage I have to ask myself - but hang on, didn't I use that already.  Only to then carefully read the method and find that the recipe called for say 1/3 of a cup of something, and you used 1/4 of a cup in one part, and then the remainder (which is incidentally roughy around 40ml or 2 tablespoons!) in another part.

That is what I did today!  Never mind, it usually works out in the wash - I am sure I will make my own quantities of dressing to go with the noodles anyway!!!

This recipe appeared in the November edition of Super Food Ideas - there was a section on food on skewers - I have already tried the recipe for Sweet Chilli Coconut Skewers - so decided to give this one a go.  Now I know you are not supposed to put mushrooms in liquid - they absorb like a sponge - but you see "The Darlings" don't like mushrooms - so I am hoping that they will soak up enough marinade that they might not notice they are mushrooms (let's see shall we?!?)

Beef and Mushroom Soy and Ginger Skewers


Serves 4

You will need 12 pre soaked bamboo skewers

600g beef rump steak (I actually used porterhouse - it was on special) - trim and cut the steak into 2cm pieces
200g butto mushrooms, halved
2cm piece fresh ginger, finely diced
2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tbs sesame oil
1/3 cup mirin (Japanese rice wine)
1/3 cup soy
270g Ramen noodles - I used soba
4 shallots (green onions) finely sliced
1 small carrot, julienned
10 snow peas, finely shredded
1 small avocado, diced
1 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp brown sugar
2 tbs mirin (extra)
2 tbs soy (extra)

***Place the soy, garlic, ginger, oil, and mirin in a large ziploc bag.  Add the cubed steak, and mushrooms (optional).  Leave to marinate for 2-3 hours if possible.

Thread the steak and mushrooms onto the skewers.

Cook noodles according to packet directions.  Drain well and place in a bowl.  Add the shallots, carrot, cucumber and avocado.

Whisk the sesame oil, sugar and extra soy and mirin in a bowl.  Add to the noodle mixture and toss to combine.

Heat a greased barbecue plate or chargrill on medium-high heat.  Cook skewers for 6-8 minutes, or until cooked to your liking (make sure to turn!)  Transfer to a plate.  Cover loosely with foil.  Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

Serve noodle salad with skewers.

***  As we here in Australia are heading into the holiday season, and many families will be heading off for their summer holidays, I thought I would start adding a few handy tips to make your holidays less stressful.

If you are heading of for one of those self catering holidays - such as staying in a house or apartment, or even camping.  Here is my #1 tip.

I have found a great way to lighten to load on me (the cook) while away is to prepare several marinades in ziploc bags and thrown them into the esky to take away with you.  This way firstly you don't have to go out and buy duplicate bottles of things that you already have at home - (you also don't have to take multitudes of things with you to make stuff with) - but the most important thing is that it saves you work when everyone else is off relaxing at the beach!!  You just need to get your meat - throw it into the premade marinade and you can head off to the beach too - knowing that all you have to do is get someone else to cook it when you get back!!!  I usually take 2 - 3 marinades with me.  You don't want to be so organised that you are inflexible in your eating - but you also don't want to be spending your holiday chopping and mixing.

This marinade would be a great one to take along - you can use it with steak, chicken, or even fish!

I will try and include a couple more marinade recipes in the next few weeks.

So Dear Readers what approach do you take when you head off on the annual holidays - do you like to be pretty organised so that you can relax too, or do you just wing it when you get there (and make the meals while the others are playing).  Please any tips and advice will be greatly appreciated.