Thai Beef Salad- by Ronda M.

2  thick 8-oz sirloin steaks
1 lemongrass stalk- root trimmed, then lower 2 inches finely chopped
1/2 red onion or 2 small shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, cut into strips
2 T chopped scallion
Juice of 2 limes
1-2 T Thai fish sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (or 2-4 red chilies)
1 tsp cilantro

1. Pan-fry or grill (better) the steaks, aiming for medium-rare.  Let them rest for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile cut up veggies.

2.  After meat is done resting, slice it thinly and toss with vegetables and lime juice and fish sauce to taste.  Sprinkle with cilantro.

This is at its very best served right away, while the meat is warm, but it is fine to make ahead and refrigerate, as well.

Original recipe by Yuwadee Thomas
(I halved the onion amount in the list above, and used even less than that last night.  Also, I forgot the lemongrass last night.)



Ginger Chicken
from "The Everything Thai Cookbook"

2 T fish sauce
2 T oyster sauce
2 T soy sauce
3 T vegetable oil
1 T chopped garlic
1 whole boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 T grated ginger
Pinch of sugar
3 T chopped onion
2-3 habanero, serrano, or bird's eye chilies, or 1 jalapeño for a mild version
3 green onions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1.  In a small bowl, combine the fish, soy, and oyster sauces; set aside.
2.  Heat the oil in a large wok until very hot.  Add the garlic and chicken, and stir-fry just until the chicken begins to change color.
3.  Add the reserved sauce and cook until it begins to simmer, stirring constantly.
4.  Add the mushrooms, ginger, sugar, onion, and chilies; simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 5-8 minutes.
5.  To serve, ladle the chicken over Jasmine rice and top with green onion and cilantro.