Cooking Done Light

Thai beef salad, also known as yam neua, is an extremely popular Thai recipe. As of matter of fact, when most people speak of this dish, they say “there are as many yam neua recipes out there as there are Thai cooks”. Well here is one more!! I have incorporated all of the “classic” ingredients in a Thai beef salad – only with less fat and much less oil. Some people choose to add fish sauce to their dressing, but I think that it tastes equally delicious without it.

1 pound lean london broil or flank steak

3 tablespoons lime juice, divided

3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons minced ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons red curry paste or chili-garlic sauce

1 head lettuce, torn (boston and romaine work well – or substitute baby spinach and arugula)

3 shallots (or 2 small red onions), thinly sliced

1/2 cup cilantro leaves, rinsed and dried

1 cup basil leaves, sliced into ribbons

2 small cucumbers, sliced into half moons

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

Put the meat in a small dish or resealable plastic bag; in a medium bowl combine 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, soy sauce, canola oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and red curry paste. Pour half of this marinade mixture over the meat.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice, and cover tightly (or seal, if using a bag). Place the meat in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (or overnight, if you want to do the prep the evening before) and turn it occasionally if you can. Reserve the rest of the marinade mixture in the fridge as well (you will use it as the dressing for the salad).

When ready to cook the meat, spray a grill pan with cooking spray and place it over medium-high heat. Grill the steak until medium-rare (about 5 minutes per side) or longer if you want it more well done. Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest until it comes to room temperature, then slice it thinly (against the grain).

Combine the lettuce, shallot, cilantro, basil, cucumber, tomato, and beef in a large bowl; add the reserved dressing and toss well to coat.

Divide salad among 4 plates.

Makes 4 servings. Per Serving: 334 calories, 11 g total fat, 4 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat, 12 g carbohydrates, 4 g fiber, 3 g added sugar, 33 g protein , 340 mg sodium, 51 mg cholesterol