Thai Beef Salad (Yum Neua)

Place the palm sugar, coriander, garlic and ginger into a mortar and pestle and grind for a minute or two, until the mix is coarsely ground. Add the chillies and continue to grind. Be aware that the longer you grind, the more the flavours develop, especially the chilli. Add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Taste and adjust for sugar, fish sauce or lime. The key is to achieve a balance between the sweet, sour, salty and spicy tastes Preheat a barbecue grill or char grill pan on high. Cook steak on grill to medium rare or to your liking. Transfer to a plate. Cover with foil and set aside for 10 minutes to rest. Then thinly slice across the grain into bite size pieces.

Place the lettuce, tomato, cucumber, onion, chilli, mint, coriander, basil, peanuts and lime leaves in a large bowl. Add sliced beef to the salad. Drizzle with dressing and gently toss to combine. Serve immediately.