Vietnamese beef noodle salad

This simple beef noodle dish can be made quickly and should evoke the taste and smell of Vietnam’s busiest street food alleys.

Credit: Donal's Meals in Minutes

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 300 g rump steak, trimmed of fat and thinly sliced
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) fish sauce
• 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 1 lemongrass stalk, roughly bashed and finely sliced
• 3 tsp (15 ml) rapeseed oil
• Roasted peanuts, roughly chopped, to serve

 

Dressing

• 2-3 tbsp (40-60 ml) fish sauce
• Juice of 1 lime
• 3 tsp caster sugar
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 3 red and green chillies, finely chopped

 

Salad

• 125 g flat rice noodles, cooked and cooled
• Large handful of beansprouts
• ½ cucumber, halved and sliced thinly
• handful of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped, plus extra to garnish
• handful of fresh coriander leaves, roughly chopped

Instructions

1. Place the beef strips in a bowl and add the fish sauce, half the garlic, half the shallots and half the lemongrass. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
2. Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing until the sugar has dissolved, then loosen with 1-2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
3. Divide the cooked and cooled noodles between 2 deep bowls and top with the beansprouts, cucumber and herbs.
4. Heat a wok or frying pan over a high heat. Add the oil and just as it begins to smoke add the remaining garlic, lemongrass and shallots to the wok.
5. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until it becomes aromatic. Immediately add the beef and the marinade and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, allowing it to sit in the pan every now and then without stirring to ensure it gets a good colour and chars slightly.
6. Divide the contents of the pan between the 2 bowls and top with the roasted peanuts. Spoon over the dressing and garnish with a few mint leaves. Serve while the beef is still warm.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.