Asian Steak Salad

Crunchy, yummy and fresh.
Easy*, with a disclaimer, or two.

*Probably the hardest part of this salad is finding the super thin sliced beef.  I buy mine at the Asian grocery store.  You COULD marinate any kind of steak and just cut it up for the top of the salad.  It would be good any way.

*Napa cabbage is sometimes hard to find too, it almost looks like a romaine head, but crunchier with more white ribs.  In a pinch, you could use romaine or iceberg lettuce, or even regular cabbage.  It's up to you.

*Cooking the very thin beef can be a challenge, use a large griddle or fry pan.  Don't even think of using your BBQ.  It... just... doesn't... work.

Serves about 4
Ingredients

1 lb beef, thinly sliced
1 small head Napa cabbage
1-2 carrots, very thinly sliced
1 English cucumber, shopped 
1 red bell pepper, sliced and chopped
1-2 cups of bean sprouts
1/2 cup cilantro leaves
1-2 jalapeno's, minced (optional)

Marinade/Dressing:

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce (if doing gluten free, look for a gluten free brand!) 
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp garlic red pepper paste (or 2 tsp garlic, crushed and 1 tsp red pepper flakes)
1 Tbsp ginger, grated
1 tsp fish sauce, if desired

Make the dressing/marinade.
Pour half the dressing into a shallow bowl and marinate the beef for 20-30 minutes.
Retain the other half of the dressing/marinade for the salad dressing for the veggies..
 
Get your veggies cut up and ready to go. 

Marinate the beef

Cook the beef to your desired liking.  The thin beef I use cooks in under a minute on the grill, but so much depends on the meat you use and how you like your beef cooked.

Right before serving, toss the veggies in the dressing. Serve salad on plates, topping each salad with the grilled beef (like the top photo).