Spicy Thai Steak Salad with Crispy Pot Rice

I know I know, it’s been a few. Between work trips, planning my high school reunion, some big life changes, then a super clutch vacation, it’s been a little hectic in the Triniwood house. 

I’m a total kitchen dork though, so most of my time laying by the pool was spent reading Grant Achetz and Eric Ripert’s memoirs, and some cookbooks. I couldn’t wait to get home and do what I love again. 

This recipe was adapted from Food52’s A New Way To Dinner. This cookbook is one of my favorites I’ve read in awhile–all about how to repurpose a big batch of food you make on Sunday throughout the week, which (hello) is the whole thesis of this blog. The PERFECT dish for a hot summer day like today was. A key feature of Thai cuisine is that it incorporates all taste sensations–salty, sweet, sour, spicy, and savory. And this dish more than delivers on all fronts. Alex told me that he would “totally order it from a restaurant,” which was probably the weirdest compliment I’ve ever gotten.

You’ll Need:

Thai Beef Salad

• Flank steak (also called London Broil, Top Sirloin’s good too)
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1-2 red Thai chiles, seeded and stemmed (a habanero or a Serrano would work too)
• 2 tablespoons of sugar (I used sugar in the raw)
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/3 cup of fish sauce (Don’t be scared. It’s delicious! Find it in the Asian section of the grocery store. Soy sauce would work too)
• 1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced into half moons
• 2 scallions, sliced
• A big handful of cilantro and/or basil, rough chopped
• Kosher salt
• Arugula, romaine, or spring mix

Crispy Pot Rice

• 2 1/2 cups of basmati rice, rinsed and drained (the skinny delicious kind you see at India and Mediterranean restaurants. Look in your grocery’s Asian or bulk sections)
• 1/3 a cup of plain yogurt (ehhh who even has plain yogurt, just use Greek yogurt thinned out with a splash of water)
• 5 tablespoons of cooking oil
• Kosher salt
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon

Method

1. Pat the steak dry with paper towels and lay it out on the plate on a counter so it comes to room temperature while you cook. This is weird, but we aren’t going to season this steak before cooking (!!!). Flank steaks are relatively thin and usually cook through by the time you get a good crust. Instead of rubbing a bunch of moist flavoring on the steak before we cook (which inhibits browning and carmelization) we’re gonna cook it naked and season after. It’s crazy. You’re gonna have to trust me.
2. Use a mortar and pestle, a mini food processor, or a spice grinder to turn the garlic, chiles, and sugar into a paste. Place it in a large bowl with the lime juice, fish sauce, and salt. Taste and add more salt if needed or a splash of vinegar if you need more acidity. Toss in the cilantro/basil, scallions, and onions.
3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil then add the basmati rice. Reduce the temp to where it’s still actively simmering, give it a good stir, and let it cook for about 5-7 minutes. Drain in a fine colander, then pour in a bowl and mix with the yogurt, 3 tablespoons of oil, and a couple dashes of salt. Taste and add more salt if needed. The rice should be pretty close to tasting “done,” soft and not too toothesome.
4. While the rice is getting started, turn your oven on a high broil and move your rack to the highest position. If you have a meat thermometer, insert in the thickest part of the steak. Put the steak on a pan and place directly under the broiler, cooking for 3 minutes per side or until the thermometer reads 130 degrees. Let the steak rest for 10 minutes, then slice against the grain. This part’s important—the steak will be too chewy if you cut along the muscle. Toss the steak with the salad and let it set on the counter while the rice finishes, so the flavors can meld.
5. Back to the rice. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven on medium high. Gently swirl the oil around them add the rice–you’ll hear it sizzle, so be careful to be gentle and not splatter oil on yourself! Use a spoon to spread the rice evenly and lightly pack down. Wrap the lid of the Dutch oven on a kitchen towel (this will absorb steam, keeping the rice from getting mushy) and cover the rice, careful to be sure no part of the the towel is touching the burner. Cook on medium high for 5 minutes, then reduce to low. Let cook for about 25 minutes, take off the heat, and let sit for another 5. Use a metal serving spoon or spatula to scrape every bit of the the crunchy brown rice off the bottom of the pot and toss around with the white rice. This is THE BEST part!! A nod to Hugh Acheson’s crispy rice I can’t stop talking about. I can never get enough crunchy rice.
6. To assemble, plop a big scoop of rice on a plate along with some salad greens and some of the beef salad right on top. The spicy and acidic beef is going to taste so good with the savory rice, and the crunchy rice mixed throughout are just magic.

Remix The Dish: I plan on eating the salad all week as leftovers, on a baguette as a riff on a bahn mi sandwich. The rice goes with anything–it would taste amazing with stews, or maybe some sautéed greens and a fried egg for an easy dinner (or a weird breakfast I’d probably love).