Lemongrass Beef Stir Fry with Noodle Salad 🇻🇳

 

Lemongrass are quite easy to grow.  I have a tub of them in the garden that keeps me supplied for use in many south east Asian dishes.   With their vibrant lemony flavour, they are the star ingredient for a Vietnamese-style beef stir fry served with a refreshing noodle salad and a piquant dipping source.  The bottom white part of the lemongrass is chopped up and fried in oil with the beef, infusing the meat with a burst of freshness and tropical aroma.  (Do save the green parts to add flavour to a curry another time as they freeze well.)  Dry rice vermicelli noodles are used in this recipe, which need to be rehydrated according to package instructions.  Make the dipping sauce and the noodle salad first.  Have them all arranged on individual plates ready to receive the beef slices as soon as they come out of the wok.  Enjoy the taste extravaganza.

Serves 2

 

 

INGREDIENTS

• 100g / 3½oz rice vermicelli noodles
• 200g / 7 oz porterhouse steak or sirloin steak
• a handful of butter lettuce leaves
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 small carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 Lebanese cucumber, julienned
• ½ cup daikon, peeled and julienned (optional)
• 1-2 spring onions, sliced diagonally into 3cm / 1¼" lengths, for garnishing
• 2 tablespoons fried shallots, for garnishing

For dipping sauce:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 red birds eye chilli, finely chopped (optional)

For marinating the beef:

• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• ½ tablespoon brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons lemongrass, white parts only, finely chopped

METHOD

1. In a bowl, make the dipping sauce by combining brown sugar, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, chopped garlic and red chilli if using.  Stir to dissolve sugar.
2. Trim fat and sinew off the steak.  Slant your knife at about a 45° angle and slice the beef across the grain into 1cm / ¼" thick pieces.
3. In another bowl, marinade the beef slices with fish sauce, brown sugar, chopped garlic and lemongrass.  Massage seasoning into the beef with your fingers.
4. Bring a large pot of water to the boil.  Add rice vermicelli noodles and cook for about 5 minutes or according to package instructions, stirring occasionally.  Drain and rinse under cold water.  Leave in a colander to dry. 
5. On each individual serving plate, place a portion of noodles on top of a few lettuce leaves, then arrange julienned carrot, cucumber and daikon if using on the side.
6. Heat oil in a wok on high until very hot.  With your metal spatula, spread the oil around the bottom of the wok.  Add the beef.  Spread them out in a thin layer and let them fry, undisturbed, for about a minute until caramelised on one side, then flip them over.  Move them around to cook through.
7. Top noodles with cooked beef.  Garnish with spring onions and fried shallots.  Drizzle some dipping sauce all over, then serve the remaining sauce in a small dish on each individual plate.