Thai Tiger's Tears Salad

Thai food is one of several ethnic varieties of grub that I very much enjoy. Locally, I recommend Sawasdee on Capital Blvd. and ShabaShabu on Old Wake Forest Rd. in Raleigh as two excellent Thai restaurants.

At ShabaShabu they serve an appetizer salad called Tiger's Tears. I have requested a double portion as an entree, and they have happily obliged. This is a spicy beef delight that is absolutely perfect for a light meal in warmer weather. Prep is a bit involved, but the results are highly satisfying indeed.

1/4 cup raw jasmine rice
1.5 pounds top sirloin or round beef, 1” thick

Marinade:
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp minced ginger root
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Salad:
1 green pepper, seeded
1 red pepper, seeded
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 scallions (white and green parts)
12 sprigs fresh mint (optional), remove the leaves and discard the stems
1 cup lightly packed Thai basil leaves
1/2 cup lightly packed cilantro leaves
2 to 3 shallots, sliced crosswise very thin or 1 small red onion, sliced very thin
2 stalks lemon grass
1 head Bibb or Boston, or 1 heart of Romaine lettuce

Dressing:
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp sesame seed oil

Rice preparation:
Toast rice in a skillet over med-high heat shaking the skillet constantly, until rice is golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from skillet, let cool completely. Process in the food processor until it is the size of couscous. Remove to a bowl. This step can be done ahead of time; the rice will keep in a sealed container indefinitely.

Beef marinade:
Mix all marinade ingredients in a non-reactive bowl that is just big enough to hold the steaks in one layer. Add the steaks and turn them to coat. They should be sitting very tightly in the bowl. If you don't have the bowl of appropriate size, just pour the marinade into a large ziploc freezer bag, add the steaks, squeeze all the air out and close the bag. If marinating only for 30 minutes leave the beef at room temperature. If marinating longer than that, keep it in the fridge removing to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking. Marinate 30 minutes to 2 hours.

Salad preparation:
Slice the peppers into quarters lengthwise, and then slice crosswise into very thin slices (1/16" thick). Put into a large bowl. Thinly slice scallion and shallots or onion and add to peppers. Add mint, basil, and cilantro to the bowl. Slice lemon grass into very thin rings (the thickness of a sturdy sewing thread) using Benriner slicer or mandoline, and add to the bowl. You can do this with a very sharp knife, but it is much harder to get slices that thin with a knife. Finely mince jalapenos including seeds, and add to the bowl. If necessary, the salad can be prepared to this stage 1 hour before serving and kept covered in the fridge.

Cooking and dressing:
In a small bowl, mix fish sauce, lime juice, and sesame oil to make a dressing. Sear beef to medium rare. Remove beef to a plate and slice thin, into pieces approximately 2 inches across and 1/8 inch thick. Use the lettuce to make a bed in the bottom of the plate. Add beef and toasted rice to the salad. Pour in the dressing and mix well. Adjust seasoning as desired. Place on bed of lettuce and serve immediately.