I can't believe I've never tried to make Yum Neua before... this is one of my favourite Thai dishes that I also often tend to forget about.
I found a recipe here and followed it pretty closely though I had to make a few substitutions based on what I happened to have (and not have) on hand: http://www.food.com/recipe/yum-nua-thai-beef-salad-89165
Changes I made to the dressing:
- I didn't have fresh chilies, so I used a small amount of dried chili flakes (probably less than 1/2 tsp which made for a salad with mild spice but far from spicy)
- I didn't have lemon grass, but I slivered a lime leaf and added the zest of the 1/2 lime I happened to have
- Since I only had 1/2 a lime, I added its juice plus the juice of half an orange (instead of all lime juice)
Changes I made to the salad:
- I only had about a third of a cucumber (and I certainly didn't bother to remove the seedy bit), so I also added a handful of quartered cherry tomatoes
- I had some basil, so I added that too
- I didn't have shallots, so I used a small bit of onion finely sliced and I mixed it with the dressing
Changes to the preparation:
I put half of the fresh herbs in with the beef as the recipe calls for, but I put the other half in with the lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We tossed the beef mixture with the lettuce and veggies right before serving.
Anyhow it was absolutely amazingly delicious!
