ON the whole, the standard diet in North America consists of pretty bland food; the trinity of seasonings is salt, pepper and ketchup.
There's a whole galaxy of flavours out there that a lot of home cooks never investigate.
The Asian concept of combining sweet, sour, salty and spicy elements in a dish makes for some great adventures in cooking and eating, and this beef salad is an easy and delicious way to begin your journey into a world of amazing taste.
PENANG BEEF SALAD WITH SWEET AND SPICY DRESSING
Serve this over steamed rice for a heartier meal - make a little extra dressing to drizzle over the rice.
1 lb flank steak
Marinade:
1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp Asian hot chili sauce (also called sambal oelek/sriracha)
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Salad:
1 head red or green leaf lettuce
½ cup finely sliced red onion
½ cup diced English cucumber
½ cup shredded carrot
Dressing:
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp Asian hot chili sauce (or more/less to suit
your taste)
1 Tbsp Thai fish sauce
¼ cup water
3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 Tbsp brown sugar
Garnish: 2 Tbsp each chopped fresh mint, cilantro and basil; ½ cup toasted sliced almonds
Score the flank steak several times across the grain and place it in a large zip-lock bag. Combine ginger, lime juice, chili sauce, soy sauce, sugar and oil in a bowl and pour into the bag with the steak; seal bag and invert a few times to ensure steak is well covered with marinade.
Store in the refrigerator for at least two hours or overnight.
Preheat the grill to mediumhigh and cook steak for about three minutes per side or until it is still rare (don't overcook as it will continue cooking when removed from heat). Let steak rest for 5-10 minutes and then cut into thin slices across the grain.
Place lettuce leaves on a platter and top with the sliced beef. Scatter red onion, cucumber and carrots over top. Combine garlic, chili sauce, fish sauce, water, lime juice and brown sugar in a bowl; drizzle over the platter, then sprinkle herbs and almonds over top. Makes four servings.
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE
This makes a cooling accompaniment to the salad; leave out the vodka in the kids' version. 2 cups pineapple juice (or a mixture of pineapple and orange juices) 1 cup crushed ice
½ cup vanilla, pineapple or coconut yogurt
2 small bananas (or 1 large), peeled and cut into chunks
6 oz vodka
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth; pour into tall glasses. Makes 4 servings.
LACY COCONUT COOKIES
Serve these for dessert with a scoop of coconut gelato or ice cream - try Mario's Coconut Gelato or Roasted Coconut ice cream from The Udder Guys, both available at Whole Foods.
2 ?3 cup all-purpose flour
1¾ cup icing sugar
¼ tsp salt
2 ?3 cup well-shaken unsweetened coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup unsweetened finely shredded coconut
5 Tbsp butter, melted
In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, icing sugar and salt. Add the coconut milk and stir until well combined, then stir in the vanilla and the coconut. Add the melted butter and stir again until combined. Cover the bowl and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop a heaping teaspoon of the batter onto the lined sheet, then spread with the back of a spoon or a small offset spatula to make a circle about three inches in diameter. Repeat, making circles approximately two inches apart (don't crowd the circles or they will all run together). Bake for four minutes, then rotate cookie sheet and bake for another four to five minutes or until edges are golden. If cookies are browning too fast reduce heat to 325 degrees and increase baking time if necessary.
Cool cookies on baking sheet on a wire rack for about five minutes, then with a small spatula transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely. Wipe the parchment paper clean and let baking sheet cool before baking another batch (or use two sheets and switch them out for each batch).
Makes about 72; cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight tin between layers of parchment or waxed paper for up to three days.
