Cambodian-style Beef salad

with G being restricted to the couch, i figured i would spoil him a little and actually cook (poor guy!)... it seems like ever since the kids left i rarely cook any more so today it was almost exciting to dig out my books and look for something new (and zone-ish!) to prepare. Since i hate the grocery store, i planned dinners for a week, assembled my grocery list and drove off to the super-duper HEB to get my ingredients... 2 hours later, i was beat just from the damn shopping!

Dinner tonight was interesting. I had prepared ceviche when i worked in restaurants years and years ago... but ceviche is made with seafood... tonight's salad was made much the same way only with beef sliced very thin. Honestly, i did not think i would like beef prepared this way, however... it turned out pretty good.

Recipe to follow.

For the MEAT part:
1lb beef round sliced into PAPER-thin slices
1/4 cup of fresh-squeezed lime juice
2 stalks tender lemon grass bruised

the DRESSING:
2 shallots unpeeled
3 cloves garlic unpeeled
3 tablespoons palm sugar
2-3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon powdered galangal (i had to use ginger instead)
1/4 cup peanuts roasted unsalted chopped
the stems from 8 sprigs of cilantro

For the SALAD:
1 red bell pepper julienned
1 carrot julienned
4 oz bean sprouts
1 shallot julienned
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves - small
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves chopped

The GARNISH:
The leaves of cilantro from the stems you used for the dressing paste
1/4 cup peanuts, roasted, unsalted, chopped

Marinate the sliced beef in lime juice and lemon grass for 35 minutes. Prepare the dressing and the salad while it marinates.

For the dressing, roast the 2 shallots and 3 garlic cloves in the broiler... peel them, discarding the husks and then use a mortar and pestle to make a paste out of the cilantro stems, roasted garlic and shallots, galangal (ginger). Once you have a paste, move it to a bowl and blend with the lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar. Set this aside.

Toss all the salad ingredients into a large bowl.

After the meat has finished marinating, with your hands (preferably freshly washed) squeeze out all the excess juices and toss the meat into the salad. Pour your dressing over the top and toss together well! Dish up a plate
Garnish with cilantro leaves and chopped peanuts...Serve ASAP

Yum!

For Joe... wish i had taken a pic when it was freshly prepared!