Ingredients

Marinade
1/2 cup oyster sauce
1/2 cup puréed cilantro root
5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 tablespoon Golden Mountain seasoning sauce

Steak
1 pound flank steak

Salad
3/4 tablespoon palm sugar
1 1/4 tablespoons tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup finely sliced mint leaves
1/2 cup finely sliced sawtooth coriander or cilantro
1/2 cup finely sliced shallots
5 tablespoons ground aromatic sweet rice (recipe below)
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice
1–2 teaspoons roasted dried chili flakes, to taste
8 ounces Chinese long beans, cut into 2-inch lengths, quickly blanched in heavily salted water

Ground Aromatic Sweet Rice
1 cup sweet rice
1 stick fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 Kaffir-lime leaves, thinly sliced
1 1/2-inch knob galangal, thinly sliced

Instructions

Marinade
Mix all the ingredients for the marinade in a bowl, add the beef, and marinate for at least 2 hours.

Steak
Light or preheat the grill to high, and grill the beef directly over the coals until medium-rare (3 to 4 minutes per side). Allow to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Salad
Add the palm sugar and tamarind to a small bowl and heat in a saucepan half-filled with water until warm and combined. Add the remaining salad ingredients to a medium bowl and stir in the tamarind mixture.

Toss the sliced beef with the salad ingredients and check the seasoning. The flavor should be salty, sour, and spicy. Serve the salad with a wedge of raw white cabbage.
(Published 2005)