CRISP KOREAN BEEF SALAD

This just might be my favorite. salad. ever.

It has a secret ingredient in it.

Well, maybe not so secret anymore.

Citron Tea.

 Citron is a fragrant citrus, with a thick white rind and a dry pulp with hardly any juice.  It is mainly used for its outer peel. In Korea the peel, pith, and pulp is thinly sliced and soaked or cooked in honey or sugar to create a chunky syrup. It is similar to marmalade. In Korea it is used as a home remedy for a cold or flu. They drink it as a tea, 1/2 cup of hot water and 1 TBSP. citron tea.

Here in the U.S. it is mostly used in the baking industry, where its peel is often candied for cakes, puddings and sweet rolls.

I used it to make an amazing dressing. This salad is full of healthy vegetables and the thinly sliced beef is coated in corn starch and quickly fried for a delicious, crisp crunch in the salad. Everything with the exception of the beef can be made ahead of time so you can toss this together in no time.

Crisp Korean Beef Salad

makes 2 servings

1/2 lb beef rib eye, very thinly sliced and cut into bite size pieces

Salt and pepper to season

1/2 cup cornstarch

3-4 Tbsp grape seed oil

1/4 lb  thin asparagus

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced diagonally

1/4 red onion thinly sliced

1 red chili sliced, optional

arugula (one handful)

1/2 lb any lettuce of your choice

Korean citron dressing :

2 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp bottled Korean citron tea

3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

4 Tbsp grape seed oil

1 1/2 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

a few dashes of freshly cracked black pepper

Bring a small pot of water to a boil, add salt and asparagus, blanch for 20 seconds. Remove from pot and put into a bowl of ice water. Drain. Set aside in the fridge.

 

Keep all the salad greens and lettuce in the fridge to chill as well.

Make dressing by mixing all the ingredients. Whisk well and keep in the fridge.

Season beef slices with salt and pepper. Coat each slices with flour or corn starch.

Heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the beef slices and fry until the edges gets crisp and brown, about 1-2 minutes. Flip to the other side and continue to fry. Transfer beef slices onto a plate lined with a paper towel.

Assemble your salad on a plate and place crisp beef slices on top. Drizzle the citron dressing, toss and enjoy.

Recipe slightly adapted from Beyond Kimchee.