Thai Steak Salad & IPA

Thai Steak Salad
Servings - 2

Marinade
• ½ T garlic
• 2 t onion powder
• 1 dried lemon grass chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 1/3 cup of fresh mint
• 1/3 cup of lime juice (about 4 limes for me)
• 2 T fish sauce
• 1 t sweet chili sauce
• 3 T sugar/splenda
• 6-8 oz steak (I used sirloin)

Dressing
• 1 T rice vinegar
• 1 T sweet chili sauce
• Dash sugar/Splenda
• Dash garlic powder
• Dash onion powder
• Dash salt
• Dash pepper

Salad
• 4 large handfuls of lettuce
• 1 cucumber, diced
• 1 T mint
• 1 T cilantro

1. In bowl, mix together garlic, onion powder, lemon grass, cilantro, mint, lime juice, fish sauce, sweet chili sauce and sugar. Add to ziplock bag with steak. Marinade at least 3 hours.
2. In small sauce pan combine dressing ingredients, and heat until combined
3. Grill steak, about 3-4 minutes per side for medium rare, let steak rest several minutes
4. Split lettuce between two plates
5. Top with cucumber, mint, cilantro, and dressing
6. Finally, slice and top with steak

This is a very flavorful salad and hearty enough for a main dish. Since this is so flavorful, you want a flavorful beer to stand up to it. I chose an IPA, Frye’s Leap IPA, made by Sebago Brewing Company out of Maine, where they have four locations. This has a big aroma and a big flavor. As with IPAs, there are a lot of hops, but balanced with caramel malts and grapefruit. The citrus here plays off well with the citrus of the steak marinade.