1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and thinly sliced width-ways
2 long red chillies, julienne cut
2 golden shallots, thinly sliced
1 cup each of Thai basil, coriander and Vietnamese mint
Oil for cooking
1 cos lettuce to serve
Tip: Skirt steak is a flat and thin cut of meat that’s relatively lean, full of flavour and quick to cook.
Tip: Use a mandolin to thinly slice the cucumber and shallots and julienne the papaya and chillies.
Nahm jim
1 green papaya, julienne cut
75ml rice wine vinegar
5ml fish sauce
2 tbsp caster sugar
1 long red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
75ml lime juice
Tip: Nahm jim is a classic Thai dressing that’s hot, sour, salty and sweet – all at the same time.
Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Scatter the rice across a baking tray and roast in the preheated oven until golden (4-5 minutes), stirring occasionally.
Allow the rice to cool slightly then, using a mortar and pestle, finely grind and set aside.
To prepare the nahm jim dressing, place all the ingredients into the mortar and pestle and pound until smooth, tasting as you go. It should be hot, sour, salty and sweet. Tweak if necessary and set aside.
Heat some oil in a large frying pan over high heat then cook the steak in batches. Season to taste and fry until the meat is done to your liking. Set aside to rest (10 minutes).
Meanwhile, combine the papaya, cucumber, chilli, golden shallots and herbs in a large bowl, toss gently to combine, drizzle with the dressing and top with the roasted rice.
To plate
Serve the thickly sliced rested steaks and papaya salad with cos leaves for wrapping.
