Thai-style Beef Salad over Angel-Hair Pasta

• Recipe by Quick From Scratch Soups & Salads

Ingredients

1. 1/2 pound angel hair or other thin pasta
2. 2 tablespoons cooking oil
3. 3 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
4. 1/2 cup sliced almonds
5. 1 jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs removed, minced
6. 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
7. 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
8. 1 teaspoon salt
9. 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)*
10. 4 scallions including green tops, chopped
11. 1 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint
12. 1/4 cup lime juice (from about 2 limes), plus 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. 1.In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta until just done, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain thoroughly. Toss the pasta with 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil and 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil.
2. In a large frying pan, toast the almonds over moderately low heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Or toast the nuts in a 350° oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the nuts from the pan and chop them.
3. In a large frying pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of cooking oil over moderately high heat. Add half the jalapeño, the ginger, beef, and salt. Cook the meat, stirring frequently, until brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining tablespoon sesame oil, the fish sauce, scallions, mint, and lime juice.
4. Put the pasta on plates and top with the beef salad. Sprinkle with the remaining minced jalapeño and the chopped almonds and serve with the lime wedges.

Notes

Asian fish sauce available at Asian markets and most supermarkets