Johann's beef & noodle salad

There are times in summer when I want the hot spiciness of a stir-fry without the cooked vegetables.

This salad does just that and there will be so many lovely lettuces and herbs around over the summer it is good to make the most of them.

Try different lettuces and herb combinations till you find the one for you.

As for the beef? Well local grass fed is always going to taste best and it's worth getting from a real butcher, who grows their own.

Beef & Noodle Salad

Ingredients          

Marinade

1 clove of garlic crushed

1cm piece of ginger peeled & grated

Half a chilli, finely sliced

1dsp soy sauce

Half tsp nam pla

400g striploin steak

125g Chinese noodles

Dressing

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp nam pla

∏ tsp salt

juice of half a lime

1cm piece of ginger grated

1 clove of garlic crushed

∏ a chilli sliced

4 peppercorns crushed

1tbs sesame oil

4tbs sunflower oil

Salad

∏ a cucumber sliced thinly length ways (A swivel peeler is useful for this)

6 radishes or thinly sliced

2 handfuls of rocket

1 little gem or half a cos lettuce shredded

1 handful coriander leaves

12 large basil leaves

2 scallions sliced thinly

Method

- Mix the ingredients for the marinade together and cover the steak in it. Cover and leave in the fridge overnight or at least a few hours.

- Cook the noodles according to the packet and drain well, leave them to cool a little.

- To make the dressing put the soy sauce, nam pla, salt, lime juice, grated ginger, crushed garlic and crushed peppercorns into a screw top jar. Put the lid on the jar and give it a good shake. Add the oils to the jar and cover and shake well again.

- Pour half the dressing through a sieve onto the warm noodles.

- Prepare the salad and put it into a large bowl.

- Heat a heavy frying pan till very hot.

- Scrape the marinade off the steak and sear it in the dry pan for 2-3 minutes on both sides. (Longer if you like well done steak.)

- Take the steak from the pan and place it on a plate.

- Toss the noodles and salad together with more of the strained dressing if needed.

- Thinly slice the steak and mix with the salad and noodles.

- Serve. (Serves 2-4)