Thai-style beef salad

There are many variations of spicy Thai beef salad, and this one was inspired by visits to fusion restaurants in the San Franciscan area. You judge for yourself how spicy you want it and when served slightly warm like this just after the final mix, it provides a great half-way house between an entree and a main course.
        You can garnish with a few crispy noodles as in the picture if you like but to keep it low-carb, just use the crunchiness of nuts and bean sprouts.
        With practise, this recipe becomes very much self-styled, and with small variations, you can truly make it your own. You cannot go wrong with such tasty ingredients:

Method 
  • Chop up the lettuce into bite size pieces
  • Having removed the seeds,  cut the cucumber halves lengthwise in two before slicing into crunchy chunks
  • Meanwhile, prepare the dressing with 3 parts oil to 2 parts sauce and 1/2 lime for the necessary zing
  • Heat up the coconut oil before frying the 'holy trinity' of Asian cuisine for 30 seconds (getting the deep flavour but not allowing them to burn)
  • Add the beef and cook quickly over a high heat to your taste
  • Add the bean sprouts and wine for 30-40 seconds and stir well.
  • Mix everything in your salad bowl and top with peanuts and coriander

Your ingredients

The Salad Mix
  • A large head of romaine lettuce
  • 20 cherry tomatoes halved 
  • Finely sliced chile (to taste)
  • Half cucumber, cut in two lengthwise; remove seeds
The Dressing
  • 3 tbl Olive oil
  • 1 tbl Sesame oil
  • 1 tbl Sweet & Sour sauce (go easy... a few carbs here)
  • 1 tbl Soy sauce/ Ketjap
  • Juice of 1/2 lime 'to taste'
The Stir Fry
  • 'Holy Trinity' of finely chopped ginger, chili, garlic
  • One tbl of coconut fat/oil
  • 200g of finely sliced beef steak
  • 150g of bean sprouts
  • Small glass of dry white wine or dry sherry
The Topping
  • Chopped coriander
  • 50g of peanuts
Sammy Pepys was the pseudonym used by James Capon when writing this book. He is not a doctor or a nutritionist. He is concerned and increasingly suspicious of today's conventional wisdom when it comes to diet, health and the lack of progress on tackling growing rates of type-2 diabetes, obesity and related diseases.
Since then, he has advised numerous people about the benefits of low-carb diets and seen their health and energy levels rise. Weight loss is associated with this eating approach (he lost 7 kilos) but feeling good and having more energy is the main driver!
Disclaimer: The information, recipes and results mentioned on this site may not work for everyone. They do not represent medical advice and it is best to discuss any significant dietary changes with your Doctor.