Thai Beef Salad

Thai Beef Salad

This Thai Beef Salad is utterly delicious and is so quick and simple to throw together, so perfect for mid week when time is often limited and precious. 

It's packed full of fiery and aromatic flavour and lots of wonderful textures and is a real crowd-pleaser.

You could use any cut of beef, but I particularly like to use a large sirloin for this and as we love it rare, that is what you will see here, but if you prefer your meat cooked a little more, of course do so to your taste. 

I like to marinate the meat overnight, but if time is lacking, marinate for 30 minutes to an hour before cooking. I have also made this with no time to marinate at all, and once drizzled with the zingy dressing it's absolutely fine, so make according to your time. 

You can also mix it up in terms of the vegetables and salad items you use - include your favourites and if you want to bulk it out, add some rice noodles and make a little extra dressing. 

Here's how:

• 1 large sirloin steak, about 2cm thick
• Marinade for the steak:
• 1 lemongrass stalk
• 1 large red chilli
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1-2cm piece of ginger
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Juice of half a lime
• 1 tbsp shaosing wine
• Drop of fish sauce

For the salad:

• 1 bag of pea shoots
• 1 large carrot
• 4-5 raddishes
• Handful baby corn
• Cucumber - about 3-4cm long section 
• Handful beansprouts
• Handful coriander leaves
• Handful salted peanuts
• 1 red chilli

For the dressing:

• 1 red chilli
• 1/2 lime juiced
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 clove garlic
• Freshly grated ginger (about 1-2cm piece)
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sesame oil

For the steak marinade, slice the chilli, mince the garlic and slice the ginger (no need to peel), and bash the lemongrass a little and simply throw everything into a zip lock food bag, or a plastic container with the sesame oil, fish sauce, lime juice and soy sauce. Throw the steak in and allow the flavours to seep into the meat. Be sure to turn the steak over every so often, to ensure  all of the meat takes in the flavours. Pop into the fridge if marinating overnight, or if you only have an hour, leave at room temperature.

When ready to make the salad, place a griddle pan on a medium heat and allow to come up to a high temperature.

Once hot, place the sirloin  in the middle of the griddle and allow to cook for two minutes, then turn over and cook for two more minutes, and then remove from the pan and allow to rest whilst you prepare the salad and dressing.

Use a large plate or platter and scatter the pea shoots across it first.

Now peel and cut the carrots into thin matchstick sized pieces, then cut the radishes and cucumber into similar thin sticks and scatter all over the pea shoots. Now throw over the beansprouts, coriander and peanuts. If you like a lot of spice, also slice the red chilli and place all over the salad plate. 

Now make the dressing in a small bowl, literally just combine the freshly grated ginger (to taste), sliced red chilli, brown sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, fish sauce and sesame oil and mix well. 

Now slice the steak as thick or thin as you'd prefer, into gorgeous slithers, place over the salad and drizzle all over with the dressing. So fresh, so simple, so delicious. Enjoy!

Skinny Steak Night: Garlic & Bay Fillet Steak with Rocket and Balsamic Vegetables

When we usually have steak, it would be either accompanied by chips or creamy mashed potato but in order to stick to my 1200 calorie/day current diet in a bid to live healthier and shift the last stone of baby weight, I've made some tweaks so we can still enjoy our favourite dinner.

Serving with these quick-fried vegetables that are cooked in the steak marinade, and having just a handful of rocket, means this delicious meal comes in at 414 calories - not bad. You can use any cut of steak you prefer but I like fillet for making this feel more of a treat, whereas Glen prefers sirloin.

The below serves two and I'd recommend leaving the steaks to marinade for at least thirty minutes or longer if you have time.

Skinny Steak Night

Here's how:

• 2x 200g steaks (fillet)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves
• 4 bay leaves
• Large pinch sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 100g mushrooms
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• 80-100g rocket (can use watercress or lamb's lettuce if you prefer) 

Firstly place the steaks in a shallow bowl then season each side of both steaks with the sea salt and black pepper - be generous here. Now peel the garlic cloves and slice half-ways, and add to the bowl with the bay leaves. Now finally, pour over the 1 tbsp olive oil. (Adding more than 1tbsp here will add lots more to your calorie and fat intake). Set aside and leave for thirty minutes.

On a chopping board cut the red pepper and red onion into equally shaped, bite-sized pieces and slice the mushrooms into thick pieces and set aside.

When ready to cook, pre-heat a griddle or grill for the steaks and a separate pan for the vegetables and wait for them to be very hot.

Place each steak into the griddle and time for 2 minutes (for rare - 3 minutes for medium-rare), in the meantime pour the excess marinade oil into the other pan and turn the heat down. Turn the steaks over after the timer tells you they have had two (or three) minutes and time for the same amount of time again.

Get a square of tinfoil ready to wrap the steak in to keep warm while resting and once the steaks are cooked to your preference, wrap and set aside to rest.

Now pop the vegetables into the warm pan and allow to quick-fry in the steak marinade. Add the balsamic and allow to soften for two minutes.

Pop the salad leaf you are using onto the plate and place the rested steak on top and then, finally, add the vegetables. Enjoy!

Rare Fillet

Fillet Steak with White Bean Mash and Creamy Peas and Lettuce

I got the idea for this a few weeks ago, watching an old episode of Nigella Bites. Nigella used a sirloin 'minute' steak but as I made this just for myself on an evening when my partner was out with clients for a meal, I thought fillet steak was in order. I also added some vegetables to the equation as just steak and beans felt too plain for when I wanted something a little decadent, and the addition of creme fraiche to the veg just upped the ante a little further. I served simply, with a little whole grain mustard on the side and it was absolutely delicious together.

You could of course use sirloin or your own preferred cut of steak but I say if cooking for yourself, go fillet and treat yourself.

The wonderful thing about this dinner too is that it's completely low maintenance, it can be on the table in fifteen minutes, including marinading the steak but tastes terrific. 

Steak:
1 fillet steak or steak of your choice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
2 spriggs of Rosemary
Pinch of coarse sea salt
Pinch of black pepper

White Bean Mash:
1 tin of cannelini beans, chickpeas or butter beans
1 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
Zest & juice of half a lemon
Pinch of salt
Pinch of black pepper

Creamy Peas and Lettuce: 
2 tbsp frozen peas
1 little gem lettuce
1.5 tbsp creme fraiche
Salt
Pepper
1 tsp grain mustard

Water from a recently boiled kettle

Firstly marinade the steak in the oil, Rosemary, seasonings and the crushed garlic and leave to infus or five minutes, or longer if you have it.

Get your steak griddle or pan on a low-medium heat to warm it up.

In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, drizzle in the oil and place on a low heat. Crush the garlic and add to the pan for 30 seconds just to slightly soften.

Open the can of beans of your choice, I used chickpeas here, drain the liquid and add to the pan.

Grate the zest of the lemon and squeeze out the juice and keep to one side.

With a wooden spoon keep moving the beans around, gently smooshing them downwards, after only a few minutes they will start to burst open, and their soft centres will start to take on the flavour of the oil. Now is the time to season and add the lemon juice and zest. Keep on stirring and smooshing downwards until the whole thing comes together and resembles mash. Then leave on the lowest heat and stir every few minutes to prevent any sticking to the pan and to make sure it stays hot.

My fillet steak was about 3cm thick and this is how I cooked it for blushing pink and rare inside, please check depending on your preference for steak and which cut and size you have to gauge cooking time.

Sear your steak for two minutes in the now hot griddle or pan without moving - if using a griddle this is what will give you those lovely griddle marks that I think make a steak that little bit more appealing.

After searing, allow to cook for 2-3 minutes further on each side, then remove and place onto a plate to rest. You can wrap with foil here to keep the steak hot, but remember the heat will keep the steak cooking, I tend to place onto a steak and then position a bowl over the top instead.

Remember to keep stirring the white beans throughout the steak preparation.

Finally you can prepare your vegetable accompaniment. Slice your little gem and wash then drain with a clean tea towel or some kitchen paper and leave to one side.

Place the peas into a small saucepan and then cover with boiling water and cook for two minutes.

In the meantime drizzle in the olive oil into a final pan and place on a low heat. Add the lettuce and allow to very gently saute.

Drain the peas and add these to the pan with the lettuce, also adding the creme fraiche and some seasoning. You can also add a little garlic here, but as the meal was already heavy on garlic I omitted here. Add the grain mustard and stir through. Once the creme fraiche has reduced down to a more liquidy form, this is ready - it takes no time at all.

Finally you are ready to plate up and enjoy this wonderful plate of food. Allowing the steak to rest for 4-5 minutes whilst getting the vegetables together will allow all of the juices to return and make for such a beautifully tender piece of meat.

A final flourish of coarse sea salt and pepper onto the steak before eating will again, up the ante. Enjoy!

Prix Fixe

Good Food - Shame About the Service

I've fancied trying Prix Fixe for a while - my friend Lianne recommended it for the food and the excellent value and I've read several good reviews too. So yesterday afternoon after visiting the Museum of London with my family we were in Soho around 5ish, and in something close to a miracle we managed to sway my mum away from our regular haunts in Chinatown, and got ourselves a table in Prix Fixe.

As it was early - far too late for lunch, and a little too early for dinner, there was only a couple of occupied tables in the restaurant. This did not prevent the restaurant manager from looking around at all the empty tables, 'finding' us one and informing us we'd have to be done by 7pm in a very sharp manner. This put my back up immediately as it was unlikely we'd be more than two hours anyway, and I found it be unneccesary rudeness.

One thing that must be applauded in Prix Fixe is the fantastic value for money available on their set menu. For £11.90 you get two courses and can choose from 7 starters and 12 mains. There is a good selection however for somewhere pitted (on their website) as a 'Classic French Bistro' the menu is a little bit confused - with items such as Falafel and Hummus, Halloumi, Canneloni and Sausage and Mash on there - definitely not dishes I would cite as French - however I was willing to keep an open mind.

To start we all fancied the same dishes - so we had two Crab Croquette's which came with avocado mousse, pickled cucuber, cream cheese and a red chilli salsa. I thought this was a great plate of food - prettily presented and with all the accompaniments working well together. The croquettes themselves had a good helping of Crab in there and were seasoned well. I love avocado and pureed as it was it tasted great with a bite of the crab. The cream cheese was wrapped in a slither of the cucumber and had chopped dill - another great partner to the crab and the salsa was actually chopped pineapple with chilli - which gave the dish an added element - sweetness. I asked my brother and my Mum who had this dish to mark it out of five purely on taste - and they gave it a 5 and a 3 respectively.

My Dad and I both had their special of the day which was a Chicken, Leek and Mushroom Terrine with homemade chutney and wrapped in parma ham. This came served with two little toasted slices of ciabatta bread. This was a fantastic start to the meal - the leeks gave the chicken a gorgeous strong flavour and the chicken was incredibly moist and well seasoned. The chutney was tangy and went perfectly on a piece of the bread with the terrine. We gave 4 each for flavour.

For the main course my Dad and I again chose the same - the infamous Steak & Frites. I'd read excellent reviews of this and with a £7 supplement on the set menu I thought it would be rude not to try at such a low price in the West End. The steak 'entrecote' itself was cooked well, had a round of garlic butter on top, which melted slowly and gave a lovely flavour. The Frites were perfect, thin French Fries and a small side salad was dressed in a fresh citrussy oil. A great dish and enjoyed by both. But what actually elevated this dish for me was the accompanying sauce - a peppercorn and blue cheese affair which was fabulous slathered over the steak and also to dip the chips into. A four each for flavour again.

Daniel had the Roast Barbery Duck breast with dauphinoise potatoes, marinated red cabbage and a cherry and red wine jus - this had a £6 supplement on top of the set menu too. This was by far the dish of the day for us. The duck was pink and juicy and full of flavour, the dauphinoise were cooked beautifully and the accompanying red cabbage was a lovely pickled addition to the plate. The sauce was like the final link in a chain of beautiful food to make this dish near on perfect. Again a five was scored.

The worst dish of the day was my Mum's - the Roasted Cumberland Sausages and mash. The sausages were good actually - herby and flavourful, but the mashed potato was a complete disappointment. Aside from the fact it was lumpy and not as warm as you'd like - it was watery, flavourless and was left on the plate pretty much untouched.

There was hardly any of the caramelized red onion and sage gravy so my Dad tried to get the attention of the Restaurant Manager again, as he had been serving us throughout the meal, to request more. The far from charming man waved us away and shouted to one of his waiting staff to come and 'deal with table 5'. I thought it was disgusting behaviour - after all the old adage goes 'manners cost nothing' and it's true. Hillariously once the ordered, but polite waiter had taken our request - he returned with a sauce pot full of gravy - the equivalent of a large tablespoon!

I'm working in Soho at the moment and a couple of Friday's ago I had Sausage & Mash in the modestly priced The Garrick Arms and I can honestly say this pub grub was a whole lot better than the slop my Mum was served.

Despite the rudeness of the manager, as always, I found room for dessert after my steak and opted for the cheese selection. This is three small pieces of cheese with biscuits, a plum chutney and red and white grapes - for £5.95. I had a piece of Comte, a Sauvageon and the divine Fourme d'Ambert. The Comte was actually not the best I've tried - but I have to admit I've been spoilt for cheese recently with a visit to Bistro du Vin's Cave a Fromage so I didn't judge too badly. The Sauvageon was mild, creamy and lovely and popular around the table and the Fourme d'Ambert was exceptionally good - a blue cheese triumph.

My Dad was the only other person to order dessert and he went for the Madagascan Vanilla and lime Cheesecake which came with raspberry coulis. This looked very pretty, and I'm told it was an excellent dessert too - with a strong vanilla flavour and a buttery biscuit base - exactly what you want from a cheesecake.

With only a minor complaint towards the food (mash-gate) I left with the opinion that the quality of food against the value for money was really very good. We paid £113 including service charge for four of us and this included a bottle of Chardonnay, a large glass of Merlot and a couple of Peronis too. The waiters were pleasant enough towards the end of our meal - but unfortunately the head waiter left more than a bad taste in our mouths and I doubt any of us would return again soon, despite all enjoying most of our food. Such a shame.

I can only assume that a restaurant in the constantly lively West End, which is constantly busy due to decent and well priced food, has given the manager of Prix Fixe an air of over-complacency. He clearly doesn't feel the need to employ even basic manners. We left at 6:40 and while it was busier than when we'd arrived - the majority of the tables were still empty. If you can bear the rudeness then do try but for heavens sake - don't choose the Sausage and Mash.