Thai Beef Salad Recipe
A healthy twist on a tasty thai dish, by Daley Nutrition
Thai Beef Salad Recipe (cooking time 20mins)
Since moving to Australia in 2012 I have been exposed to some of the best Asian salads I have ever tasted. The Asian cuisine is seen throughout Australia in the big cities, especially Melbourne. However when you look into the ingredients of a traditional Thai beef salad then you realise that it doesn’t suit the Australia lifestyle as an every day dish to consume. It is high in fat, sugar and salt, which is shame as it one of the best tasting dishes around! So I put my researcher nutrition chef hat on and created a recipe that is lower in sugar, fat and salt than the traditional version and can be included as part of a healthy balanced diet. Let’s answer some basic questions about the dish’s ingredients:
Are soy and fish sauce good for you?
Fish sauce unfortunately will never be good for you as it is too high in sodium. Soy is very good for you and the closer to the plant based source of soy you can get the healthier it is. However with soy sauce the soy content is rather low and the majority of the sauce is water and sodium (salt). On average per tablespoon you are looking at 900mg of sodium, which is nearly 33% of your maximum daily intake. However there are some reduced sodium versions available in most supermarkets nowadays, which we strongly advise and is what we use in this thai beef salad recipe.
Are mint and coriander good for you?
Yes! Mint and coriander give this dish a really fresh herby taste. There is a lot to be said for these two herbs, they carry a lot of anti-inflammatory properties and benefit the body. Mint has been known for thousands of year as a digestive aid that helps to sooth the stomach and aid enzymic activity throughout the gastrointestinal tract. Research has shown improvements in gut health with people who suffer from IBS and acid reflux. The fresher you can get it the better – which is good as mint grows like a weed in gardens and can get out of control! Add some boiling water to the leaves and let it stew for a few minutes then consume it as a tea or add it to your salads such as this thai beef salad recipe. Coriander has high levels of vitamin C which aids our immune system and influences every single cell in our body, especially the skin in staying healthy. Coriander also has high levels of beta-carotene (vitamin A), this vitamin influences the immune system especially in the respiratory tract, but also the reproductive organs and assisting healthy liver function. The fresher the coriander the more vitamin C!
Top Tips
- Grow your own – they’re both really easy to grow!
- Water the plants once every few days during the summer.
Ingredients (serves 4 people)
For the Salad
- 75g unsalted peanuts
- 500g beef fillet or rump steak or beef strips
- 1 large red onion, very finely sliced
- 1 large cucumber, diced
- 220g mixed salad leaves
- 2tbsp fresh coriander leaves
- 2tbsp fresh mint leaves
- 1 lime, quartered to serve
For the sauce
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp reduced salt soy sauce
- 1tsp sesame oil
- 2tps of stevia (instead of light brown sugar.)
Method
- Toast the peanuts in a frying pan over a medium heat, tossing until golden, then set aside.
- Cook the beef strips in a non-stick hot frying pan or grill pan for 2 minutes each side, or until cooked to your liking. Allow to cool, slightly.
- To make the dressing, place the dressing ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well to combine.
- To serve, gently mix the onion, cucumber, salad leaves and cooked beef slices in a large bowl. Add enough of the dressing to lightly cover the salad and gently mix. Serve in the mixing bowl or transfer the salad to a large platter.
- Sprinkle with peanuts, and the coriander and mint. Add the lime wedges.
Thai Beef Salad Nutrition per person
- 11g of fat
- 29g of protein
- 7g of sugar (mainly from onion)
- 390mg of sodium
Thai Beef Salad
Posted by Luke Daley, Registered Nutritionist, Msc, BSc (Hons)
Director and Founder of Daley Nutrition
A little about us….Daley Nutrition is a community nutrition team based in Melbourne Victoria, we run a range of nutrition-based programs such as cooking demonstrations in Australia to raise people’s awareness of what they are eating and empower them to change certain eating habits.
