Isan Beef Salad

What a long but lovely weekend I had, while I worked the whole time I did get in a lot of celebration time with friends and family.  And today is the last day of my HUGE work project and I am so happy, no more extra long hours!  Sunday night we had a family dinner to celebrate my younger brother's birthday and my dad made his famous bourbon beef chuck roast accompanied by my mom's amazing tomato cucumber salad and black jack margaritas.  For dessert my mom made the most delicious cake ever, honeycomb crunch chocolate cake...it was to die for.  Lately I've been listening to a lot of podcasts and am really excited to buy a bunch of heirloom tomatoes this year for my garden.  I plan on having six plants and hope to make sauces, stewed tomatoes, ketchup, tomato vinegar, etc.  I want all this so during the winter I can actually have delicious tomatoes to use for all my cooking, and yes I have formed a new obsession with tomatoes.  In other news did you hear that they are putting out a new season of X-Files?  This isn't new news but it is awesome because they are getting a fair amount of the same actors to come back including Skinner's character, I can't wait!  I adapted this recipe and made it with my friend Erin for a yummy dinner on a hot day.

Serves 2

The Ingredients
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 pinches of sugar
1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce
1 beef tenderloin (about 10 ounces)
2 shallots, sliced finely lengthwise
1 green onion, sliced finely in rings
1/2 stalk of lemongrass, hard bottom end cut off; outer leaves removed, white part sliced very finely in rings (optional)
1 handful of mint leaves
1 tablespoon oil or bacon fat
Toasted rice, pound finely in mortar to powder
Green cabbage, torn


The Process
1.  First make the dressing by mixing the lime juice with fish sauce, sugar and garlic chili sauce. Balance well; this dressing should taste spicy, sour and salty.

2.  In a hot skillet with bacon fat (or oil) over medium-heat sear steak on one side for 3 minutes, turn over and sear for 3 more minutes.  This is with a 2inch steak and it will be rare.

3.  Cut beef in slices very thin. Don’t waste the meat juice, save as much as you can. Combine beef and juice with shallot, spring onion, lemongrass when using, and fresh herbs. Finish with dressing and toasted rice powder and toss together.  Serve over a bed of green cabbage.