Recipe - Herbed Beef And Rice-Noodle Salad

FOR MARINATING THE BEEF
2 lg Garlic cloves; chopped
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce such as
nuoc mam* or soy
; sauce
1 tablespoon Asian; (toasted) sesame oil
2 teaspoon Sugar
One fourth teaspoon Salt
1 One half pound Flank steak

FOR THE SAUCE
1/3 cup Water
2 tablespoon Minced garlic
1/3 cup Asian fish sauce such as
nuoc mam*
1/3 cup Fresh lime juice
2 tablespoon Sugar
One half teaspoon Dried hot red pepper flakes;
or to taste
1 pound Dried ricestick noodles*;
(rice vermicelli)
1 lg Seedless cucumber; quartered
; lengthwise, cored,
; and cut or sliced up into
; 1/4inchthick
; pieces
4 cup Shredded lettuce; rinsed and
spun dry
One half cup Chopped fresh mint leaves
One half cup Chopped fresh coriander
One half cup Chopped fresh basil leaves
One half cup Crushed roasted peanuts;
(use a rolling pin)

*available at Asian markets

Marinate the beef:

In a blender blend together the garlic, the fish sauce, the sesame oil, the
sugar, and the salt, in a shallow dish pour the marinade over the steak,
turning the steak to coat it well, and let the steak marinate, covered and
chilled, for 4 hours or overnight.

Make the sauce:

In the blender blend together the water, the garlic, the fish sauce, the
lime juice, the sugar, and the red pepper flakes.

In a large bowl soak the noodles in warm water to cover for 5 minutes and
drain them. In a kettle of salted boiling water cook the noodles for 5
minutes and drain them in a colander. Rinse the noodles well under cold
water and drain them well.

Grill the steak, discarding the marinade, on an oiled rack set 4 to 5
inches over glowing coals or broil it under a preheated broiler about 3 to
4 inches from the heat for 8 to 10 minutes on each side, or until it is
springy to the touch, for mediumrare meat. Transfer the steak to a cutting
board, let it stand for 10 minutes, and holding a knife at a 45degree
angle slice it thin.

Divide the cucumber, the lettuce, and the herbs among 8 large plates,
mixing them, and mound the noodles over the mixture on each plate. Arrange
the steak decoratively over the noodles and sprinkle it with the peanuts.
Spoon some of the sauce over each plate and serve the remaining sauce
separately.

Serves 8.

Gourmet September 1993

Converted by MC_Buster.

Converted by MM_Buster v2.0l.