When I’m trying to be healthier, my go-to flavours are Asian; Thai, Vietnamese. Fresh, vibrant and aromatic. They instantly brighten up what should be a dull plate of veg, add life, and make things ten times tastier. I always find they fill me up a lot more too.
This salad was inspired by wandering around the aisles of Morrisions (seriously, the one kinda near me is amazing!) for nearly an hour. Their fresh produce was amazing, and after a carb-laden lunch (read more on Saturday) we wanted to lighten things up. The steak came about because chicken (free range, that actually tastes of something) is
expensive. Turns out that with the right ingredients, the thin cuts of cheaper frying steak are more than delicious. I’ll definitely be picking up more of these.
Steak is also a lot, lot quicker to cook than chicken. These only had a minute on each side, and to be honest I wouldn’t even give them that next time. You can have this salad ready within about 15 minutes of walking through the door. And the dressing? Add noodles and leftover salad – there’s lunch for tomorrow. It also works perfectly to add extra zing to a noodle soup.
Ingredients (for 1, but makes extra dressing)
- Frying steak
- 1/2 thumb-sized piece of ginger
- 1 red chilli (check the heat by tasting a little bit, and adjust the amount accordingly)
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- A splash of soy sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lime
- Squeeze of honey
- Coriander
- Salad – we went for julienned carrot, watercress and a small amount of onion
- Sesame seeds – optional, only to top the salad, but we really enjoyed them
Begin by making the dressing. Finely chop the ginger, chilli and garlic together. Add to a small bowl or mug, then pour over the sauces, lime and honey. Mix together, taste, and add more of an ingredient if you think it needs it.
Toss your salad together with your coriander.
Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, with a teeny amount of oil. Season the steaks with salt and pepper, and flash fry extremely quickly until just cooked.
Cover the steaks with foil to rest briefly, and tip any sauces from the pan into the dressing.
Toss the salad in the dressing, top with the steak, sprinkle over sesame seeds and serve. I added a teeny bit of rice to mine (and a lot of rice to W’s) but it honestly didn’t need it.
The perfect diet meal!
What’s your favorite healthy recipe?
