Vietnamese-Style Beef Salad

recipe from Epicurious

1/2 seedless cucumber

5 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes

1 medium shallot, thinly sliced

1 pound fresh pineapple chunks (about 4 cups)

3/4 pound deli sliced roast beef

12 long sprigs fresh mint

Halve cucumber lengthwise, then slice diagonally 1/4 inch thick.

Stir together lime juice, water, fish sauce, sugar, red-pepper flakes, and shallot in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved.

Arrange pineapple and cucumber on a platter and drizzle with some of dressing. Drape roast beef slices on top and arrange mint alongside. Serve with remaining dressing on the side.

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