Ingredients
- 200g/7oz beef fillet, sliced thinly
- sal and freshly ground black pepper
- olive oil
- 75ml/3fl oz coconut milk
- 2.5cm/1in piece fresh ginger
- 110ml/4fl oz rice wine vinegar
- 110g/4oz caster sugar
- 50ml/2fl oz Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 50g/2oz cashew nuts, finely chopped
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander, roughly chopped
- vegetable oil for deep frying
- 40g/1½oz ready-made rice noodles
- 2 Little Gem lettuces
Method
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Place the beef slices, salt and freshly ground black pepper and olive oil into a bowl and mix well.
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Heat a frying pan and add the beef. Avoid turning the meat too much – you want it to develop a nice crust.
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Once the beef is golden-brown all over, add the coconut milk. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The coconut milk will reduce down to give a sticky consistency, coating the beef. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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Grate the ginger onto the middle of a sheet of muslin. Fold over the muslin to seal around the ginger, then squeeze out the juice over a clean bowl by slowly twisting the muslin with the ginger inside.
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Place the rice wine vinegar and caster sugar into a pan over a medium heat and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
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Add the Thai fish sauce, chilli flakes, and the squeezed ginger juice and cook over a low heat for five minutes.
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Add the chopped nuts and heat for one minute.
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Add the chopped coriander and heat for one minute.
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Heat a deep fat fryer to 180C/350F (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
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Add the noodles to the oil – they will expand quickly and dramatically. Once the noodles are all crisp and golden-brown remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and transfer to a baking sheet lined with a paper towels to drain.
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Divide up the leaves from the Little Gem lettuces and arrange on serving plates.
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To serve, spoon the beef into the ‘cups’ of the Baby Gem leaves, and then drizzle the dipping sauce over. Gently crumble a handful of the crispy noodles over each dish and serve.
Source: BBC
