Vietnamese Beef Salad

I thought this would be a good recipe as many of the ingredients are common to both Korean and Vietnamese cooking. It is very fresh and always makes my mouth water when I think about it. The lime and fish sauce really make the beef delicious.

Here are the ingredients you will need (this serves about four people):

– 2 Sirloin steaks (or similar cut of steak with good marbling), around 250 grams each

– 4 green onions

– Half of a white onion

– One chile pepper (Birdseye, jalapeno or the type Maangchi likes to use are all good)

– 1 clove of garlic

– 1 small piece of ginger (same size as garlic)

– 1 lime

– 2 tablespoons of fish sauce (or more to taste)

– Large handful of fresh coriander leaf (AKA cilantro or Chinese parsley)

– Optional: mixed salad greens or fresh lettuce

Steps:

1) Heat a skillet (or wok) on high heat for about five minutes

2) Season both sides of each steak with lots of black pepper (no need for salt though)

3) Once pan is hot, add steaks and cook on that side for five minute (to get a nice brown crust). If it starts to smoke a little bit, simply turn on the fan.

4) After five minutes, flip the steak and cook for another five minutes, to brown the other side. Remove to a plate or cutting board and allow the meat to rest and cool slightly. The meat will be very rare inside, but this is very important for the dish.

5) Meanwhile, chop the green onions into 2 centimetre lengths. Add to a large bowl (that will eventually hold all the meat).

6) Slice onion thinly and add to bowl.

7) Remove the seeds of the chile pepper (if you don’t like it too hot). Chop it finely, into the size you like. If you don’t like things too spicy, add less of the chile or chop the pieces smaller. Add to bowl.

8) Peel garlic clove and grate into bowl with a cheese grater. Peel ginger (or just wash thoroughly) and grate it in as well. Alternatively, finely chop the garlic and ginger.

9) Roll the lime on your cutting board under your palm (to break the capsules that hold the juice inside). Cut in half and squeeze all the juice into the bowl.

10) Add fish sauce to bowl (fish sauce may be replaced with soy sauce, but use a slightly lesser amount).

11) Chop coriander roughly, or leave as whole leaves, and add to bowl.

12) Slice the beef thinly, across the grain, and at a slight angle. This exposes more of the interior of the meat (which will be very rare). Add the beef slices to the bowl and mix with the other ingredients.

This may be served alone, with rice, or placed on a bed of salad leaves. Both are very delicious. This would be a great side dish as an accompaniment to many others.

I am sorry but I can’t take any pictures of this dish right now. If I can later on, I will be sure to add them!

I hope you try and enjoy this dish. It is very flexible and can easily be changed to suit different tastes. Let me know how it goes!