Grilling In The Warmth Of Your Kitchen

Five Minute Cooking School Brings Grilled Steak In From The Cold

(CBS)  Vietnamese Beef Salad

The marinade for this beef includes lemongrass, an aromatic herb that is a staple in Southeast Asian cooking. Resembling a green onion in shape, it has long, thin, gray-green leaves. Only the pale bottom part of the stalk is used in cooking.

3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lemongrass stalks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tbs. sesame oil
1/2 tsp. red chili paste
1 lb. flank steak, sliced 1/4 inch thick
4 oz. dried thin rice noodles
1 head butter lettuce, large leaves torn in half
2 carrots, peeled and cut into long julienne strips
1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
Vietnamese dipping sauce for serving (see related recipe below)

In a bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemongrass, brown sugar, lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil and chili paste. Add the beef and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 6 hours.

Cook the noodles according to the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water. On a large platter, arrange the lettuce, noodles and carrots.

Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Remove the beef from the marinade; discard the marinade. Grill the beef, turning once, about 1 minute per side. Arrange the beef on the salad. Garnish with the peanuts, cilantro and mint. Serve with the dipping sauce. Serves 4.

Vietnamese Dipping Sauce

This recipe calls for fish sauce, a salty, pungent liquid that is an essential seasoning in Southeast Asian cuisines. The best-quality fish sauce is pressed from small fish, commonly anchovies that have been salted, packed in barrels, and fermented for several months under the steady heat of the tropical sun.

Serve this dipping sauce with our Vietnamese Beef Salad (see recipe above)

6 Tbs. fresh lime juice
3 Tbs. fish sauce
1/4 cup sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed with the side of a knife
1/4 tsp. red chili paste, plus more, to taste
1 to 2 Tbs. warm water (optional)

In a bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and chili paste. Taste the sauce; if it is too strongly flavored, whisk in warm water as needed. Makes about 3/4 cup.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma New American Cooking Series, "The Southwest," by Kathi Long (Time-Life Books, 2001).