Yam Nuea Yang (Spicy Thai Beef Salad) #SundayFunday

The #SundayFunday bloggers are sharing their favorite salads today. I opted for a main dish salad that we love!

Stacy of Food Lust People Love, Sue of Palatable Pastime, Rebekah of Making Miracles, and Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm coordinate this low-stress group; we only participate when we are inspired. Stacy is hosting this week. Here's our line-up of salads...

• BBQ Chicken Ranch Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm

• Caprese Prosciutto Salad from Food Lust People Love

• Mexican Street Corn Salad from Karen's Kitchen Stories

• Roasted Beet & Blackberry Salad from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

• Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Dressing from Palatable Pastime

• Strawberry & Green Bean Salad from Mayuri's Jikoni

• Super Delicious Keto Salad from Sneha's Recipe

• Yam Nuea Yang (Spicy Thai Beef Salad) from Culinary Cam (you're here)

Where's the Beef?

Beef cattle on my friends' ranch, Bradley, California

You are probably thinking: beef?!? In a salad?? Yes, trust me.

My relationship with beef has a checkered past. For the greater part of a decade - through my teens and early 20s - I didn't eat beef or any other kind of meat. I was a vegetarian. But after six or seven years, despite creating complete proteins by combining vegetable foods, I began to notice unwelcome changes. I know this might sound frivolous and vain, however, for a mid-20s gal, thinning hair and brittle fingernails is problematic. Really problematic. So, I began to ease back into being an omnivore. I started with seafood first, then added in chicken, pork, and beef slowly. Now, I can't imagine not eating beef! It's versatile and tasty.

And, when it's added to a salad, that's dinner.

Yam Nuea Yang

Yam Nuea Yang, a spicy beef salad from Thailand, is a fabulous summer meal. You can cook the meat and make the dressing ahead of time. So, it's quick to assemble your salad for lunch or dinner the following day. For the record, my version is slightly less than traditional as I add in many different vegetables. Your typical Yam Nuea Yang is usually just meat, tomatoes, and onions in a spicy dressing. Regardless, it's a filling, hearty meal. And its spiciness pairs with the freshness from the citrus and herbs to make it a delight for the taste buds.

A note on the cut because I've seen different discussion streams that people outside of California are unfamiliar with the tri-tip. Tri-tip is a tender, lean beef cut that was primarily marketed in California and is still sometimes called a Santa Maria steak. Other names are bottom sirloin roast and triangle roast. If you don't see it in the meat case, you may need to request it from your butcher.

Ingredients

makes 4 entree sized portions

Beef

• 1 to 2 pound tri tip roast (mine was cut into three steaks)

• 1 teaspoon freshly ground salt

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced lemongrass

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced chilis

• 1 Tablespoon fresh minced cilantro

• 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic

• olive oil for searing

Salad

• 3 tomatoes, sliced into wedges

• 1 cucumber, thinly sliced

• 4 to 5 mini yellow peppers, thinly sliced

• 1 to 2 purple carrots, julienned

• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

• 1 bunch fresh mint, some leaves intact and some chopped

• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, some leaves intact and some chopped

• 1 bunch fresh Thai basil, some leaves intact and some chopped

Dressing

• 1 Tablespoon organic dark brown sugar

• juice from 1 organic Meyer lemon (lime is traditional, but we have a Meyer lemon tree and I use what I have!)

• 3 Tablespoons fish sauce

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced ginger

• 1 teaspoon fresh minced chilis

• 1 Tablespoon fresh minced cilantro

• 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic

Procedure

Beef

Let beef come to room temperature. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the salt, lemongrass, ginger, chilis, cilantro, and garlic till it forms a paste. Rub the paste evenly over the meat until it is completely coated. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat olive oil in large, flat bottom pan over medium heat until hot but not smoking, then sear steaks for 1 minute on each side. Transfer beef to a rimmed baking dish and roast to desired doneness. Here's a rough guide to internal temperatures...

• Rare: 120 to 125 degrees Fahrenheit - the center is red, approximately 25 minutes.

• Medium Rare: 130 to 135 degrees Fahrenheit - the center is very pink, approximately 30 minutes.

• Medium: 140 to 145 degrees Fahrenheit- the center is light pink, approximately 40 minutes.

• Medium Well: 150 to 155 degrees Fahrenheit - the center has no pink, approximately 50 minutes.

Remove from the oven and tent with foil. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Salad

Arrange all of the ingredients on your serving plates. I just try to balance layers and color.

Dressing

Place all of your ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Taste and adjust as needed. The key to the dressing is to achieve a balance between the sweet, sour, salty and spicy flavors.

To Serve

Top the vegetables with thinly sliced beef. Drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

Some Bonus Salad Offerings

We eat a lot of salads, but here are a few that I really love: Fig Salad, All the Summer's Darlings Salad, Thai Orchid Salmon Salad.

That's a wrap for my salad offering. The #SundayFunday group will return next week with mushroom recipes. Stay tuned!