Thai beef salad

(serves 4-6)

Staying home to try fight off the last niggling bits of the flu resulted in googling how to build up my immune system... i'm thinking the answer could be a thai beef salad! Increasing my iron and vitamin C intake with plenty of fresh leafy greens, tomatoes, lean red meat and fresh herbs. Hope this does the trick! This one is for you Claudia - i think you need it more than i do, I hope you're eating well over there in Amsterdam! I promise you this one is quick and easy (even though i know you don't like touching meat, you need the iron)!

Prep time: 20 min
Cooking time: 15 min

Ingredients
200 g dried vermicelli
120 g mixed salad leaves
250 g cherry tomatoes
1/2 Spanish onion
1 large carrot
2 medium cucumber
400 g rump steak
15 g (5 sprigs) basil
15 g (5 sprigs) mint
½ Tbsp coconut oil

Dressing
4 Tbsp (60mL) lime juice (approx 2 limes)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fish sauce
2 Tbsp palm sugar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil

Method
1. Soak the vermicelli in cold water for 15 minutes to rehydrate. Drain then cook in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until soft. Drain.
2. Wash and dry the salad leaves. Halve the cherry tomatoes, finely slice the Spanish onion. Place in a large serving bowl.
3. Julienne the carrot and cucumber and add to the bowl.
4. Combine the dressing ingredients and toss half of the dressing through the vegetables in the bowl.
5. Heat a pan on medium-high heat with half a tablespoon oil and pan-fry the steak for 5-8 minutes until medium-rare, depending on the thickness of the meat. Rest the meat for 5 minutes then cut into thin slices.
6. Toss the noodles and steak in the remaining dressing, then mix in with the rest of the salad.
7. Garnish with basil and mint and serve warm.