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1
Start by marinating your meat. You can do this for a minimum of four hours up to overnight, which I prefer to do. Add the cubed beef into a large zip-lock bag. In a small mixing bowl, add the garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, and cracked black pepper and mix until everything is incorporated. Add this to the zip-lock bag, seal, and toss the beef in the marinade, gently massaging along the way. Place in the refrigerator for 4 hours or up to overnight.
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2
Next, make the dressing. Into a small mixing bowl, add the dressing ingredients, and mix to dissolve the sugar. Seal and place in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the salad.
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3
When the beef is done marinating, remove it from the fridge and let it come up to room temperature, or at least long enough to take the chill off.
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4
Heat a large wok or skillet on medium-high heat. Let this heat up for a few minutes, then add the canola oil. Let the oil heat up for about a minute, then add the beef in a single layer but make sure not to crowd it. You can do this in batches if you prefer.
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5
Keep shaking the skillet back and forth to move the beef. Let it get a nice sear on all sides then cook to your desired done-ness. I tend to go medium on my beef. Once cooked, remove the beef onto a plate. Repeat if necessary.
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6
Into another bowl, add the watercress. Add about 5 tablespoons of the dressing onto the watercress, and give it a gentle toss.
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7
Add the watercress onto your serving dishes. Place the beef on top of the watercress, and add the tomatoes and peanuts. Add more dressing to taste. I like to add some of the remaining shallots from the dressing on top of the beef.
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8
The result is truly a great salad. The presentation is so inviting and the flavors are perfectly balanced. It's nice and sweet. Plus a bit bitter from the watercress. And then you get the awesome Asian flavors from the beef marinade. My wife and I devoured this salad and we both agreed that it would be a hit at any dinner table. Hope you enjoy!
