Thai Steak Salad with Sesame-Chili-Lime Cashews

Kate was putting together a delicious-smelling steak salad the other night for dinner, when I happened to show up early for girls night.  And being the sweetheart that she is, she fed me :)  A mound of fresh spinach, beautifully glazed grape tomatoes, perfectly seared medium rare steak, and a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  With really crusty bread.  It was to die for.

So it's not surprising that the next day when I was brainstorming dinner ideas, the first idea that came to mind was a steak salad.  I thought I better try something a little different though, just to keep things interesting.  But don't get me wrong, Kate's salad was perfect, and I will most definitely be copying her sometime soon!

I turned to my trusty recipe source: foodgawker.  I used to favor tastespotting, because their layout is just more aesthetically pleasing, but the search function on foodgawker is just so much better that it has become my default when I need cooking or baking inspiration.  Plus, it doesn't have the annoying adds interspersed throughout.

After just a few seconds of browsing through the "steak salad" search results, I found the recipe.  It was from HALF BAKED harvest; the beautiful photos (seriously, you need to go visit Tieghan's website to just to see the mouth-watering photo) and abundance of fresh ingredients just pulled me in.  Plus, this salad had cashews!

I basically follower her recipe to the t, just omitting the hard boiled eggs, the lemon grass (only because it's so tough... the flavor would have been a great addition!), and the Thai chilies (if they had been listed in the ingredients, I definitely would have included them, but I only noticed them afterwards, in her pictures).  I also substituted half of the baby kale with savoy cabbage, because I happened across it in the Loma Linda Market, and really just couldn't help myself.

The only thing I would change for the next time I make this:  Carsten and I are more into the veggies than the steak, so I only cooked one steak for the whole 4 person salad.  The downside: there wasn't enough hot meat to warm the salad.  This kind of salad really needs to be warm.  So next time, I would either add more steak, or very quickly sautée the whole salad in a giant wok before serving.  Or maybe just the greens....

Alright, here is the recipe, [slightly] adapted from HALF BAKED harvest:
serves 4 as a main dish, or 6 as a side
Ingredients
For the Cashews

1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tsp chili powder

1 1/3 cups raw cashews

2 Tbs honey

zest of 1 lime

For the Dressing

2 limes, juiced + the zest of 1 lime

1 Tbs fish sauce

2 Tbs ponzu sauce (or soy sauce, but ponzu sauce is best and works better here)

3 Tbs sweet thai chili sauce

1-2 cloves garlic, minced or grate

1 Tbs fresh ginger, grated

3 Tbs tahini (sesame seed paste) (Tieghan suggested you can substitute peanut butter, if you prefer) 

For the Salad 

2 cups baby kale or other dark leafy greens 
2 cups savoy cabbage (or just use all kale) 
10 oz frozen shelled edamame 
2 carrots, julienned (to the best of your ability) 
1 bell pepper (red, yellow or orange), sliced thin 
1 cup fresh or frozen mango, chopped into chunk 
4 green onions, chopped 
3/4 cup fresh basil 
3/4 cup fresh cilantro 
1/2 cup fresh mint 
1/4 cup black and/or white sesame seeds, toasted (I used half and half)

Procedure 

For the Cashews 

Heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the sesame oil, cashews and chili powder, toss well. Cook over medium heat until lightly toasted and browned, about five minutes. During the last minute of cooking add in the honey (I used 2 tablespoons). Remove from the heat and add the lime zest and 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds. Toss well and set aside.

For the Rest 

Add the steak to a glass pyrex dish or gallon size ziplock bag.

In a glass measuring cup or bowl whisk together the lime juice + zest, fish sauce, ponzu sauce, sweet thai chili sauce, garlic and ginger (DON'T add the tahini yet!). Pour about 1/4 -1/3 of the dressing over the steak, cover or seal the bag and place in the fridge while you prep the rest of the salad, at least 15 minutes (the longer the better).

Meanwhile add the tahini to a small bowl and microwave until melted and smooth, about 15-20 seconds. Add the melted tahini to the dressing, whisk until smooth. Taste and add more tahini or sweet thai chili sauce to your liking, set aside.

Place the frozen edamame in a microwave safe bowl, and cover with water.  Microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until edamame is slightly warm.  Drain well.

In a large bowl add the kale, cabbage, edamame, carrots, bell peppers, mango chunks, green onions, basil, cilantro, and mint. Give it all a good toss.

Heat a grill or grill pan to high heat.  Once hot sear the steak for 3-4 minutes, flip and sear another 3 minutes or until your desired doneness is reached. Remove the steak and allow to rest 5 minutes. Slice steak thinly against the grain and add to the salad. Add the dressing, cashews, and remaining sesame seeds. Toss to coat and massage the dressing into the veggies for 1-2 minutes.  Serve warm.

 

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