These Vietnamese Beef Noodle Bowls are the absolute epitome of a healthy summer meal. Full of protein, loaded with fresh, healthy vegetables, a small amount of fat, a few nuts, a few carbs in the form of a rice noodle, a zesty, sharp dressing and a load of punchy herbs. Tell me……does it get any better than this? I think not. These were absolutely delicious.
I bought two 300gm New York Cut Sirloins for this recipe and it was the perfect amount. You may use any cut you like (scotch fillet, eye fillet or rump) as they would all be good but about 150gm per person is plenty for this meal.
When I prepare a meal like this, I like to have all of the salad elements, the dressing and garnish ready so that once the steak is cooked and rested, it is ready to assemble. It looks like a lot of preparation, however it is simply a matter of slicing etc, a little like cooking a stir fry. The reward is this sensational Vietnamese Beef Bowl!
Prep time: 30-40 Minutes
Marinating time: 4 hours
Cooking time: 8 Minutes
$$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
For the Beef:
600gm of steak
2 tbs of oyster sauce
2 tbs of light soy sauce
2 tsp of sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
For the Salad:
4 portions of rice vermicelli noodles, prepared according to packet instructions
1 carrot, shredded or finely julienned
1/2 a brown onion, very thinly sliced top to bottom
1 punnet of assorted grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 Lebanese cucumber, halved lengthways, deseeded and sliced diagonally
A handful of snow peas, tops removed and sliced diagonally, blanched in boiling water for 1 minute
A couple of handfuls of bean shoots
1 long red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1/2 a cup of mint leaves
1/2 a cup of Vietnamese mint leaves
1 cup of coriander leaves
1/2 a cup of toasted granulated peanuts
For the Dressing:
1 clove of garlic, finely minced
1 lemon grass stalk, (white part only), finely sliced
1/2 a cup of hot water
2 tbs of fish sauce
2 tbs of caster sugar
Juice of 1 lime
1 tbs of finely chopped red chilli
To prepare the marinade for the Vietnamese Beef place the oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic in the bottom of a shallow baking dish and stir to combine. Place the steaks in the marinade, toss the meat to coat and then pop the steaks in the fridge to marinate for 4 hours (for maximum flavour, less would be ok too if you are pushed for time).
To make the dressing for the Vietnamese Beef Noodle Bowls, combine all of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool and infuse.
In another small bowl, place the mint, Vietnamese mint and coriander leaves along with the sliced red chilli and cover with ice cold water for maximum freshness and crunch.
About half an hour before serving, mix the carrot and brown onion together and spoon over a little of the dressing to marinate. This will take the raw flavour out of the onion and slightly pickle the onion and carrot.
Heat a griddle pan or BBQ grill to nice and hot and cook the steaks for approximately 4 – 5 minutes either side for medium rare, depending on the thickness of your steak. Baste with the remaining marinade during cooking and then remove from the pan and allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing about 1/2 a cm thick, across the grain.
To assemble the Vietnamese Beef Noodle Bowls, divide prepared rice noodles between four shallow bowls. Pile the salad items around the bowl (refer to image for direction) and then fan slices of steak over the noodles. Place a pile of the herbs and chilli in the centre and drizzle over the dressing. Scatter over the peanuts and serve immediately.