Thai Grilled Beef Salad

When a cousin from Chiang Mai came to visit at the time of one of our daughters’ bat mitzvahs, he made this delicious version of Thai beef salad for Sunday brunch. We’ve included it here because everyone can use a delicious go-to main course salad. With layers of flavor, a light touch of beef, and loads of greens, the salad adds up to a meal that reflects today’s trend in reversing the ratio of meat to vegetables. Serve with rice and pickled carrots (here).

SERVES 4

3 tablespoons lime juice

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons safflower oil

1 tablespoon brown sugar (optional)

1 garlic clove, minced (about 1 teaspoon)

1½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger

1¼ teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce

1 pound London broil (1 to 1½ inches thick), or skirt steak (½ inch thick)

½ head red-leaf lettuce or about 6 cups mixed greens, torn

½ cup cilantro leaves

1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved, seeded, and sliced into half moons

4 medium shallots, thinly sliced (about ¼ cup)

2 small Thai chiles, seeded and sliced (optional)

In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, the soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, if using, garlic, ginger, and red curry paste. Pour half the mixture into a resealable bag or glass dish, and reserve the rest in the refrigerator. Rinse the meat, pat dry, and add to the bag or dish. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice and seal the bag tightly or cover the dish. Allow the meat to marinate in the refrigerator, turning occasionally, at least 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat an outdoor grill or grill pan. Remove the steak from the marinade (discard the marinade). Grill the steak until medium rare, turning once, about 5 minutes per side for London broil, 3 minutes per side for skirt steak. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes then slice it thinly against the grain.

In a salad bowl, combine the beef, lettuce, cilantro, basil, cucumber, and two-thirds of the shallots. Add the reserved marinade and toss. Divide the salad among 6 plates. Garnish with the remaining shallots, add sliced chiles, if using, and serve.