Recipe - Nue Nam Tok: Grilled Beef With Thai Seasoning

3 Serrano chilies
One fourth cup White vinegar
1 One half pound Flank steak
One fourth pound Red onion; cut or sliced up
4 Green onions
One fourth cup Lime juice; PLUS:
1 tablespoon Lime juice
2 tablespoon Fish sauce
1 teaspoon Ground roasted chilies *
2 tablespoon Ground toasted rice **
Red lettuce leaves
Coriander sprigs
Mint or Basil leaves

1. Remove the stems, but not the seedes, from the chilies. Slice the
chiles crosswise into pieces 1/8" thick. Place the cut or sliced up chiles and
vinegar in a small serving bowl. Let it stand for at least 15 minutes.

2. Grill the beef to the desired doneness, preferably over charcoal. Slice
it across the grain into strips 1/8" thick and 1 to 2 inches long. Put
these in a large ceramic bowl.

3. Peel the red onion, remove the root portion, and slice the onion
vertically into thin strips. Slice the green onion diagonally into thin
pieces. Add both types of onion to the beef.

4. Add the lime juice, fish sauce, ground chilies, and ground rice. Mix
well

5. Arrange a single layer of lettuce leaves on a serving platter, and
place th beef mixture on top. Garnish with sprigs of coriander and mint or
basil leaves.

6. Serve at room temperature, the vinegar sauce (from Step 1) and rice.

* Use small hot chilies about 3 to 4 inches long. Roast whole chillie
stems and all, in a dry wok or skillet until the color changes to dark red
or brown depending on the chilies used. Be careful not to let them burn.
When the chilies have cooled, remove the stems and seeds. Place the chilies
in a food processor or blender and grind using short pulses. Preground
chilies are also commercially available, but often lack the "bite" of home
ground ones and may be more expensive.

** Place uncooked rice in a dry wok or skillet and heat over moderate heat
until deep golden brown,s tirring frequently to keep from burning and to
allow it to develop a uniform color. Watch the rice carefully after it
begins to change colorand stir constantly because it can burn easily at
this stage. When it is auniform deep golden color, remove from heat and
allow to cool to room temperature. Grind it to a fine powder in a blender
or a spice grinder. This can be made in advance and kept in quantity so
that there is always a supply on hand, but it is also easy to make up while
preparing the dish.

Source: "Thai HomeCooking from Kamolmal's Kitchen",
: by William Crawford and Kamolmal Pootaraksa.
: ISBN 0453004946.

From: nell@is.rice.edu (Paula Gaynell Warnes)

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini