Vietnamee Beef Salad

Vietnamese Beef Salad in a bowl with chopsticks

A quick and easy asian salad that's fresh and flavourful with colour and crunch. Make it with Beef or Chicken, its a great low carb alternative.

Course Dinner

Cuisine Thai

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 5

Total Time 15

Servings people

Calories 456kcal

Author Kim

Ingredients

Beef

250 grams half a pound Quality Lean Beef Sirlion Steak, at room temperature

Salad

2 cups Wombok Cabbage/Chinese Cabbage thinly sliced
1 medium Red onion thinly sliced
1 medium Red Capsicum bell pepper, thinly sliced seeds removed
1 medium Green Capsicum bell pepper, thinly sliced seeds removed
1 cup bean sprouts loosely packed
1 long Red Chilli seeds removed, thinly sliced
¼ cup Coriander leaves lightly packed
¼ cup Mint leaves lightly packed

Dressing

2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon Rice Wine Vinegar
1 teaspoon Granulated sweetener that measures like sugar
1 teaspoon Crushed garlic
1 teaspoon Chilli Paste
2 teaspoons Lemongrass paste

To Serve

2 tablespoons Granulated peanuts unsalted and lightly roasted

Instructions

Prepare Beef: Trim any excess fat from beef and slice into long thin pieces about 2mm thick and 6 cm or 2 inches long.
Cook Beef: Heat a non stick wok on high heat, and cook beef, moving around the wok until brown and just cooked through. Once coked, cover and set aside.
Prepare Salad: Add all of the salad ingredients into a large bowl and use hands to toss and mix together
Make Dressing: Add all dressing ingredients into a bowl and whisk thoroughly until combined. (or add to a jar with lid and shake vigorously)
Dress Salad: Pour half of the dressing over the salad and toss through. Let it sit for five minutes to soften
Arrange and Serve: Arrange salad into two bowls. Arrange cooked beef on top. Discard pan juices if there are any. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Garnish with granulated peanuts

Notes

Steak: Use any good quality steak suitable for grilling. Eg: sirloin, boneless rib eye, porterhouse, scotch fillet, rump steak or flank
Wombok: For best results, I like to chop he top quarter off the cabbage as its too flimsy and tends to go soft too quickly once the dressing in on, and I also chop off the bottom quarter as its too tough. That leaves the middle half which offers a good about of crunch without being too tough or too flimsy. Thinly slice the cabbage with a knife or mandolin.
Bean Sprouts: These offer a nice crunch and great texture, and they’re light and fresh. If unable to find these you can substitute with sliced beans, or sliced snow peas.
Chilli in Salad: 1 diced long red chilli with seeds removed provides a nice warm kick. If in double just use half, or leave it out and put it on at the end.
Chilli in Dressing: Store bought chilli paste or sambel olek (a Malaysian chilli paste found in the Asian section of supermarkets) is what gives the dressing a warm spiciness.
Corriander/Cilantro and Mint: Be generous with your fresh herbs as this is what really makes a difference. Using more is better than not using enough and Vietnamese food uses lots of fresh herbs. Using regular mint is fine here if you can’t find Vietnamese mint. I most often use regular mint as its easier to find.
Peanuts: Make sure to use unsalted peanuts, and it really makes a difference roasting them beforehand. Chopping or bashing them up to get a dust or powder also adds another texture to this salad in conjunction with the granulated peanuts. You can substitute the peanuts for cashews if peanuts are not your thing.
Serving: This salad is best served immediately and with the peanuts sprinkled on at the last minute.
Storage: Store the salad separately without the dressing – keep the dressing in a jug or jar with lid. Keep peanuts and beef separate and bring it all together just before serving.

Nutrition