Lemongrass beef with rice noodles and Nước chấm sauce (Bún bò xào sả) is a southern Vietnamese dish. The best way to cook this dish is to grill the beef which has been marinated with lemongrass. But I think it is entirely acceptable to stir fry the beef in a hot sizzling wok. It is then served with rice noodles (at room temperature), coarsely chopped roasted peanuts, a simple salad, lots of fresh herbs and the classic Nước chấm sauce.
Bún bò xào sả is a comforting dish which is perfect for lunch or a light dinner. It is all about the contrasting colours and textures of the ingredients which are harmoniously and elegantly brought together.
You can substitute beef with pork or chicken which has been marinated with lemongrass.
Ingredients
- 450g skirt steak (or sirloin), thinly sliced across the grain
- 300g dried rice noodles, cooked in boiling water according to packet instructions, rinsed in cold running water and drained
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 cups of mixed fresh herbs (coriander, mint, Thai basil and/or shiso perilla leaves)
- 50g roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
For the marinade:
- 2 lemongrass, white part only, bruised and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 tsp coarse sea salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
For the salad:
- 1 little gem lettuce, finely shredded
- 1 Lebanese cucumber, deseeded, cut into matchsticks
- 1 small carrots, cut into matchsticks
- 150g bean sprouts
For the Nước Chấm sauce:
- 1 Thai red bird eye chilli, sliced
- 1 garlic clove
- 3 tbsp sugar
- Juice of 2 limes
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 150ml warm water
- 5 tbsp fish sauce
Instructions
- For the marinade, pound the lemongrass, garlic, coarse sea salt, black pepper and sugar into a paste using a mortar and pestle. Mix with the fish sauce, soy sauce and oil. Add the beef and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
- For the salad, simply mix everything together in a bowl.
- For the sauce, pound the chillies, garlic and sugar in a mortar into a paste. Mix the paste with all the other ingredients in a bowl. Check seasoning and set aside.
- Heat oil in a wok over high heat. When the oil is nearly smoking, add beef and quickly stir fry for a minute until they are browned on both sides and just cooked. Work in batches if necessary so that the beef does not get overcrowded and cooked in steam. Alternatively, prepare a charcoal grill (or a gas grill). Lightly oil the grate or the grill mesh. Grill the beef for a couple of minutes on each side.
- Serve the beef with the rice noodles at room temperature. Top the beef with the peanuts. Arrange a pile of salad and herbs on the side.
- Toss with a generous amount of the Nước Chấm sauce at the time of eating.
Tag us on Instagram at @coquendum, or share a photo with the hashtag #coquendum.