By Hairee Lee

The nước chấm (a Vietnamese dipping sauce) style dressing doesn’t smell so great but, oh boy, does it taste amazing! It’s full of good-for-you stuff like cucumber, cabbage, tomatoes, but tastes like it’s worth a thousand calories.

Thai Steak Salad with Basil and Mint
Serves 4

Ingredients

Dressing:

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 1 to 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 teaspoon Thai chili paste

Salad:

• 1 (1-pound) flank steak
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups sliced romaine lettuce
• 1 cup diced cucumber
• 1 cup red bell pepper strips (about 1 medium)
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh mint
• 12 cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions

1. To prepare dressing, combine first 5 ingredients; set aside.
2. To prepare salad, sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and black pepper.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat.
4. Add steak; cook 8 minutes or until desired degree of doneness, turning after 4 minutes. Remove steak from pan; cover and set aside.
5. Combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; drizzle with 3 tablespoons dressing.
6. Arrange 1-1/4 cups salad on each of 4 plates. Cut steak diagonally across grain into thin slices.
7. Divide steak evenly among salads; drizzle with remaining dressing.

Recipe adapted from my recipes.

Photographs by Nate Brescia.