Bun Bo Grilled Lemongrass Beef Noodle Salad Recipes

THE BEST BúN Bò Xả ỚT - VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS BEEF RECIPE

Steps:

• At least 1 hour before (overnight is better), marinate the beef: crush 1 tablespoon of sugar, half the ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, half the lemongrass, and 1 Thai chili in a mortar and pestle. Combine with the thinly sliced beef, along with 1 tablespoon each of fish sauce, oyster sauce, and oil. Mix well, then cover and store in the fridge.
• At the same time, make your fish sauce: combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of ginger, 4 cloves of garlic, and 2-4 Thai chilies (as comfortable) in a mortar and pestle. Crush into a fine paste, then transfer to a jar along with 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and 1 cup of water. Store in the fridge.
• When you are ready to eat, cook your vermicelli to the time indicated on the package (usually 3 minutes), then drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside. Prepare your vegetables. In the photo, I used quick pickled cucumbers, purple cabbage, lettuce, cilantro, lime, and fried onions.
• To make quick pickled cucumbers, thinly slice 1/4 of an English cucumber, then toss with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon sugar. Let sit for 15 minutes, then rinse in cold water.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Fry your remaining 1 tablespoon of minced lemongrass until crispy and golden brown, then drain and set aside, reserving the oil.
• Add the marinated meat to the skillet and fry until well charred on both sides. You may need to do this in batches depending on the size of your nonstick skillet.
• Arrange vermicelli, vegetables, and beef in a bowl. Toss with 1/4 cup of the fish sauce, then top with fried lemongrass, fried shallots, a squeeze of lime, and sliced chilies, as desired.

VIETNAMESE LEMONGRASS BEEF AND NOODLE SALAD

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine sugar, rice vinegar and lime juice and stir to dissolve. Add fish sauce, garlic, ginger, chiles and 1/2 cup water and stir together. Let sit for 15 minutes for flavors to meld. (May be prepared a day ahead and refrigerated.)
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add rice noodles, stir and turn off heat. Let noodles soften (5 to 8 minutes, depending on brand), then drain and rinse with cold water. Leave in colander at room temperature.
• Meanwhile, combine beef, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and lemon grass in a bowl. Massage seasoning into beef and let sit for 15 minutes.
• Line a serving bowl or four individual large wide soup bowls with a few lettuce leaves and top with noodles.
• Heat the oil in a wok over high heat. When wok is nearly smoking, add beef and quickly stir-fry until lightly browned and just cooked, about 2 minutes. Work in batches if necessary so meat browns and doesn't steam. (If you do not have a wok, you may use a cast iron skillet and work in batches.)
• Top noodles with cooked beef, scallions, carrot, cucumber and daikon. Sprinkle with herbs, crushed peanuts and fried shallots (add sprouts if using). Drizzle lightly with dipping sauce and pass remaining sauce at table.

LEMONGRASS BEEF AND ONION NOODLE SALAD (BUN BO)

Steps:

• To make the dipping sauce: In a mortar, pound together the garlic and red chili with a pestle until pureed (or pass the garlic clove through a garlic press). Mix in the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and water and add the carrot. Set aside.
• Noodles: Drain the noodles in a colander, then pour boiling water over them. Let them sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes until tender. Drain, rinse thoroughly with cold running water and drain again. Set aside.
• Salad: To make the salad, in a large bowl, toss together the lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, carrot, basil and mint.
• Beef and onions: In a mortar and pestle, pound together the lemongrass, 3 garlic cloves and sugar until it is well combined. Add fish sauce and pepper to produce a paste. Add one tablespoon of the oil, mix well and add the meat; cover and set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat a wok or deep-fry pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the remaining 2 Tbs. oil and the remaining 3 garlic cloves and stir-fry until light golden brown, about 30 seconds. Add the onion and stir-fry until the layers separate, about 30 seconds more. Remove the onion and garlic from the pan.
• Add additional oil if the pan is dry (it shouldn't be). When the oil is hot, add a batch of the beef mixture and spread it over the bottom of the pan. Cook until the beef is nicely seared on the bottom, about 1 minute. Turn the beef over and sear the other side, about 1 minute more. Transfer the beef and onion to a plate. Fry the remaining beef mixture in batches.
• When all of the beef is seared, return the beef and onion to the wok and toss for a few seconds to reheat if required.
• To assemble: Divide the salad and noodles evenly among 4 shallow bowls or plates. Spoon one quarter of the beef-onion mixture over each salad. Garnish with the peanuts and fried shallots. Pour the dipping sauce into individual bowls and encourage diners to toss the salad to their liking, and add their own nuoc cham to taste.