Thai Beef Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 lb. beef tenderloin, cut 3/4-inch thick
1 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup beef stock
Juice of one lime
2 Tbsp. nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
1 tsp. sugar
7 garlic cloves, minced
3 Serrano chili peppers, minced
1 large bag of romaine lettuce
1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 English cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced

Preparation

Preheat grill. Rub black pepper into all sides of the beef. Sear on the grill for about 2 minutes per side; beef should be cooked rare. Transfer to cutting board and cover loosely with foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, and then slice very thin against the grain. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan, combine the stock, lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar. Bring to a boil. Add the meat to the sauce and stir quickly to coat it with the sauce. Immediately pour contents into a medium bowl. Add the garlic and chili peppers and toss gently.

Mound the romaine lettuce on four individual serving plates. Arrange the sliced beef over the lettuce, leaving the leftover sauce in the bowl. Decoratively arrange the cucumber over the beef, followed by the onion rings, and then the cherry tomatoes, creating elevation. Spoon the remaining sauce over each plate and serve.