Ingredients
500g beef strips
4 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp ABC Sauce
1 tbsp Chilli garlic paste
1 lemongrass stalk (finely chopped, using only the soft centre the stalk and save the hard part to flavour rice or curries another time)
1 ½ tbsp caster sugar
Salad
400g pack rice vermicelli noodles
½ tsp sesame oil
1 whole cos lettuce, washed and drained (large)
½ cup fresh basil
½ cup Vietnamese mint
½ cup fresh rocket
¼ cup roasted peanuts
1 cup finely diced cucumber
Fresh Chilli for serving
Preparation
Pop your chopped lemongrass & sugar into a mortar and pestle and pound for a few minutes. The sugar helps to bruise and soften the lemongrass, making it easier to eat (great for first-timers or fussy little eaters). Add fish sauce and chilli garlic paste to the softened lemongrass and stir through
Use a kitchen mallet to tenderise the meat. Now pour your marinade over the beef and allow to sit overnight (or 4hrs minimum if you’re short on time).
Fry the beef in small batches in a medium fry pan over high heat. Alternatively, chargrill them on a BBQ for a beautiful smokey flavour. They only need 2mins each side at the most. Allow to rest for 5mins before serving.
Noodles
Bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil. Add sesame oil then drop in your noodle. Cover with a lid until the water is boiling again. Remove lid and give it another 2-3mins. Give the noodles a little prompt with chopsticks or tongs so they separate.
Once the noodles have separated from each other (around 3 -5mins) remove from the heat and drain in a colander. Rinse quickly under cold water and leave to cool. Use kitchen scissors to cut your noodles so they’re easier to toss through the salad.
Salad
For the salad it’s as simple as roughly chopping your fresh herbs and tossing through the rocket, cucumber and noodles.
To serve
Grab a small bowl for individual serves. Pop 1-2 Cos lettuce leaves on the side. Add your noodle salad into the bowl, which will prop up the lettuce leaves. Top with beef, a handful of peanuts and fresh chilli.
