Fast Thai beef salad

Looking for a tasty summer dinner? This Thai beef salad recipe is full of colour and flavour and ready in 30 minutes.

Heat a barbecue grill or char grill on high. Coat the beef in oil then cook for three minutes each side or until it's cooked to your liking. Pop it on the plate. Cover loosely with foil and leave it to rest for five minutes before cutting into slices. Take a large bowl and add bean sprouts, capsicum, tomato, cucumber shallots, chilli if you use it, mint and coriander. Toss together. The easiest way to make the dressing is in a screw top jar, add sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice and pop on the lid and give it a good shake to combine well. Now all you have to do is arrange the salad on plates, top with the sliced beef and sprinkle with chopped toasted peanuts finally drizzle over the tangy Thai dressing.This Thai beef salad tastes so fresh and delicious and it's on the table in only 30 minutes. For the full recipe see the description below for more inspiration check out our best ever salads and light meal video playlist here.

Fast thai beef salad bowl with cucumber and red chilli
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Serves

4

Prep

15m

Note: + 5 mins resting time

Cooking

10m

Ingredients

  • 500g Coles Australian Beef Rump Steak
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup (80g) bean sprouts
  • 1 red capsicum, thinly sliced
  • 200g Perino tomatoes, halved
  • 1 Lebanese cucumber, seeded, thinly sliced
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 long red chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
  • 1 cup mint leaves
  • 1 cup coriander leaves
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1/2 tsp sesame oil
  • 2 limes, juiced
  • 1/4 cup (35g) peanuts, toasted, coarsely chopped

Method

STEP 1

Preheat a barbecue grill or chargrill on high. Coat the beef in the oil. Cook for 3 mins each side or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover and set aside for 5 mins to rest. Thinly slice.

STEP 2

Meanwhile, combine bean sprouts, capsicum, tomato, cucumber, shallot, chilli, if using, mint and coriander in a large bowl. Toss to combine.

STEP 3

Place the sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil and lime juice in a screw-top jar. Shake well to combine.

STEP 4

Divide the salad among serving plates. Top with beef and peanut and drizzle with dressing.

Thai beef salad recipe

A delicious Thai beef salad is the perfect balance of light and satisfying. It features classic ingredients like coriander, chilli, capsicum, and mint, all topped with slices of quality rump steak cooked to your liking, and a fresh Thai beef salad sauce. This recipe is a great choice for summer nights and alfresco eating, and works as both a main dish or side dish. 

With flavours that will impress even the most anti-salad of dinner guests, this Thai beef salad has taste and texture going for it. The best part? It’s on the table in just half an hour. With a dish this quick, easy, and tasty, it’s sure to become a fast favourite.

How to make Thai beef salad

Once you’ve prepped your ingredients, preheat the barbecue grill or chargrill on high. You could also cook your steak in a frying pan on the stove, however grilling it will help impart some smoky flavour into the meat. Season the rump steak by drizzling with oil and sprinkling with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes on each side for medium rare, or until your preferred doneness. Transfer the cooked steak to a plate and loosely cover with foil.

While the steak rests, place the bean sprouts, capsicum, tomatoes, cucumber, shallots, chilli, mint, and coriander into a large bowl. Lightly toss to combine.

To make the Thai beef salad dressing, add the sugar, fish sauce, sesame oil, and lime juice to a screw-top jar. Shake vigorously to combine. If you don’t have a screw-top jar, thoroughly whisk your ingredients in a measuring jug using a fork, or a handheld blender or frother. You want the sauce to be a liquid consistency with no clumps of sugar. 

To serve, thinly slice the steak. Cut against the grain to preserve the steak’s shape. Divide the salad among serving plates. Top with the sliced beef and chopped peanuts before dressing the Thai beef salad with the tangy sauce.

Spice up your Thai beef salad

One of the best things about salads in general is that they are extremely easy to customise. Salad is typically composed of a base (commonly mixed leaves or mesclun, or sometimes grains like rice or quinoa) and then packed with a variety of toppings like fruits and veggies, meat or alternative protein, herbs, nuts, seeds, or lentils, before being topped with a sauce. Dressings are usually either creamy (like mayonnaise) or liquid (like vinaigrette) and help add texture and moisture to salads for a perfectly balanced dish.

This Thai beef salad recipe is no exception to the rule of adaptation. In some versions of Thai beef salad, garlic or lemongrass is crushed into the sauce to add more herbaceousness and spice. Soy sauce can also be incorporated to add some salty and umami flavours that go beautifully with seared beef. 

Now get cooking

There’s lots to love about salad! For more beef salad options, be sure to check out Curtis Stone's BBQ steak salad with Thai vinaigrette or this Thai beef zoodle salad. If chicken is your protein of choice, you’ll love this quick chicken and noodle salad, and if you’re a salmon-lover, have a go of this 10-minute salmon salad. For a Thai salad that uses pork instead of beef, here’s our Thai-style pork salad with red curry dressing. For a filling vegan salad recipe, you can’t go past the Asian-style tofu and edamame salad.

FAQs

 

Definitely. Rump steak is an excellent slicing steak as it is lean and firm, but scotch fillet (boneless rib eye), sirloin (porterhouse or New York), eye fillet (tenderloin), or flat iron steak would also work for Thai beef salad.

 

If you’re short on time or ingredients, a Thai-inspired bottled dressing is an easy alternative to making your own.

 

Absolutely. If you don’t eat beef, you can easily swap out the protein for chicken, pork, or fish (salmon or trout would work well). Prawns, either seared or crumbed, are another excellent alternative. Vegetarian options include tofu and mushroom, or another meat-alternative.

Check ingredient labels to make sure they meet your specific dietary requirements and always consult a health professional before changing your diet. View dietary information here.