Subscriber OnlyRecipes

Vietnamese beef salad

Serves: 2
Course: Lunch, dinner
Cooking Time: 20 mins
Prep Time: 20 mins
Ingredients
  • For the dressing:
  • 80ml kecap manis
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 40g brown sugar
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 star anise, whole
  • 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped
  • 1 red chilli, sliced in half
  • 1 garlic clove, sliced
  • 1 nest vermicelli rice noodles
  • 2 striploin steaks - 200g each
  • Sea salt and black pepper
  • 1 Bok choi, thinly sliced
  • 1 wedge of Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 red chilli, sliced
  • Fresh mint leaves
  • Fresh coriander leaves
  1. To make the dressing, add all the ingredients for the dressing to a small pot and place on the heat. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 3-4 minutes. Strain the dressing through a sieve into a container and allow to cool.
  2. Place the noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiled water from the kettle. Leave the noodles in the water for 5 minutes until the noodles are soft and then strain and set aside.
  3. Remove the steak from the fridge 20 minutes before cooking to bring the meat back to room temperature. Heat a large non-stick frying pan on a medium to high heat, add the oil, and allow to get very hot. Season the steaks with sea salt on both sides and add to the pan. Cook for two minutes on one side without moving, then turn the steaks and cook for two minutes on the other side, then lower the heat. Remove the steaks when they are slightly warm inside when tested with a metal skewer. For rare, remove the steak when the inside is room temperature when skewer tested; for well done, it will be hot to touch when skewer tested.
  4. Place the steaks on a wire rack, sprinkle with some black pepper, and allow to rest for five minutes.
  5. While the steaks are resting, make the salad. Into a large bowl, add the sliced Bok choi, Chinese cabbage, red onion, red chilli, mint and coriander leaves and mix. Add the vermicelli noodles and three tablespoons of the dressing and mix together gently, coating the veg and noodles evenly in the dressing.
  6. To serve, spoon the dressed salad on to the plates, then slice the steaks and add to the plate. Garnish with plenty of coriander and mint leaves and some more sliced red chilli and dressing.
Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty

Mark Moriarty is an award winning chef, TV host, author and Irish Times columnist.