Steak with Wombok + Herb Slaw

• 50ml grape seed oil
• 2 large red chillies, deseeded and finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely grated
• 200g palm sugar, shaved/grated
• 100ml shaoxing rice wine
• 50ml fish sauce
• juice of 2 limes

  In a stainless steel pot, place the grape seed oil and heat gently.

  Add the diced chillies and garlic, then cook until softened.

  Add the palm sugar, rice wine and fish sauce, then continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by about half.

  Remove from heat, add lime juice. Stir to combine.

• 125g Beansprouts
• 300g Wombok
• 1/2 Red onion
• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 bunch Coriander
• 1 bunch Vietnamese Mint

Place beansprouts into a large bowl. Finely slice all remaining ingredients and add to the bowl. Set aside.

• 2 160-180g blade steaks
• 1 clove garlic
• 1T  grated ginger
• 2T olive oil
• 2T  soy sauce

When it comes to cooking in summer, there’s nothing quite so easy as a steak and salad. Blade steak can be a lovely cut when grilled, the key being to remove the line of cartilage that toughens when cooked.

Additionally, we like to marinate the steaks in soy, garlic, ginger and olive oil. This adds delicious flavour, but also works to tenderise the meat.

This recipe takes inspiration from Vietnamese salads, but is by no means traditional! The slaw has fresh and juicy textures from the wombok and beansprouts, but is beautifully perfumed with coriander and Vietnamese mint. Extra complexity is added with the sweet, sour and spicy dressing – well worth the short cook time it takes to make. Serves 4.

Notes – If you can’t find palm sugar, white sugar is a fine alternative. Similarly, regular mint will suffice if Vietnamese mint is in short supply.

To begin, cut the steaks in half and remove the line of connective tissue from the blade steaks. Combine the marinade ingredients and coat the steaks. Allow to rest overnight, or for at least 3 hours.

Using a BBQ or griddle pan, cook the steaks over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes on each side. They should be dark and caramelized on the outside.

Allow the steaks to rest for at least 10 minutes, then thinly slice before combining with the chilli caramel dressing.

Combine the dressed steak with the prepared salad ingredients and toss gently to make sure everything is well combined.

Garnish with a little more fresh coriander and Vietnamese mint if desired.