Thai Steak Noodle Salad

Difficulty: Medium

Prep time: 20m

Cooking time: 25m

Serves 4

Filet mignon is the classic high-end centerpiece, the kind of thing reserved for the best of the weekends, and as forgiving as it is, rarely turns out badly. That being said, it does have a tendency to end up a bit plain. A straight steak is the most faithful way to prepare it but the cut itself can be wanting in the flavor and there’s a surprising lack of dishes to use it in, at least for western cooking. This salad presents a flavorful and variable means to enjoy a wonderful cut of beef, perfect as an appetizer or side for your next Saturday date night or dinner party. 

This is another very customizable recipe but I’ll be putting down what I use. Truth be told, this dish is more intuitive than exact to me, but I’ve found that these ratios generally create a good product. I’ve found that the thick, round, egg noodles are perfectly provided they’re not overcooked, but good ramen or even lo mein noodles can work too. The greens are quite variable themselves and I prefer salad vegetables more on the leafy, tender side than crunchy (think light and fluffy leaves instead of restaurant-style Caesar salad). The vinegar can be changed easily to lime for a more sharp and fresh flavor, and the sesame oil can be mixed with chili oil for a spicy kick, and peanut oil and olive oil can be interchanged depending on the style you’re going for. But, in general, I’d start with these as benchmarks and work your own recipe by changing around the little details. Now go forth, and make your own beautiful take on this delicious recipe.

Food Dictionary:

• Filet Mignon: The tenderloin cut of beef, known for its succulent texture and mild, but pleasant, flavor

• Emulsify: The act of mixing some oil or fat-based substance with a water-based liquid (typically acidic in nature) to create a slightly thick, homogenous combination of the two. Used most often for vinaigrettes 

The Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2.5 Ibs 1-1 ½ in thick filet mignon steaks

• 2 Servings (200g dry) thick egg noodle, or even ramen noodles

• 6-7 cups leafy greens (some examples listed below) or a large (10 oz) package

• 1 Tbsp sesame oil

• 2 Tbsp peanut or olive oil

• 2 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar

• 1 Tbsp fish sauce

• 2 cloves of garlic, very finely minced

• ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced

• ½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped

• 3 Small, good quality, vine tomatoes

• 1 Large red mango

• ½ Cup packed Thai Basil

• Cilantro to garnish

• Salt and pepper to taste

Some possible leafy greens:

• Arugula 

• Red leaf lettuce 

• Baby spinach

• Romaine lettuce 

• Red and green chard

• Mint (Probably use sparingly)

• Cilantro (stems excluded)

The Process:

Steak

1. Start by preheating your oven to 400 F (200 C) and salting your steaks generously on both sides. Ideally, have these salted an hour in advanced but this should be fine

2. Place onto a roasting tray and bake for about 12-14 minutes per pound (based on the weight of the steaks, not total weight) or until about 105 F or 38 C

3. Preheat a heavy bottom pan or cast-iron skillet until smoking lightly and then add just enough vegetable oil to coat the bottom. 

4. Sear deeply on all sides until deep brown and about 125 in the thickest area.

   1. For this recipe, I’m setting the temperatures to end up around medium rare but for a cut like a filet, I think even a medium works fine in a salad. The extra stiffness is well appreciated, and being too rare causes the juice to get into the salad too much and can mess with the flavor.

5. Set aside and let rest while the rest of the salad is assembled

Salad

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add enough salt to make it just noticeably salty

2. Add your choice of noodles to the pot and cook to the specified directions before draining in a strainer and cooling off with a few rinses of cold water

3. If not done already, wash your salad greens and dry either with a salad spinner or strainer and paper towels

   1. This is the step where you’d mix together your various leafy greens if you want a separate mix but if you don’t care about the exact ratios of each green, the store-bought boxed stuff is genuinely the same as if you got the vegetables separately and then combined them. Homemade is normally better but not really here

4. Add your oils and minced garlic into a medium bowl and gradually add your vinegar and fish sauce as you whisk vigorously to emulsify into a vinaigrette. Pepper generously

   1. Alternatively, put all of it into a mason jar to half full and shake vigorously to turn to emulsify. 

5. Wash and slice your tomatoes into quarters and dip the cut sides into the vinaigrette and set aside

6. Peel and cut your mango into large bite-sized chunks, about ½-1 inch thick or to preference

7. Cut your rested steaks either into thick slices or small cubes, either bite-sized.

8. Toss your greens, mango, onion, basil, and noodles together with the vinaigrette before adding the steak and tossing to incorporate. 

9. Serve with the tomatoes on the side, and a flurry of chopped peanuts and cilantro over the top.