Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bún Bò Xào)
With summer in full swing, my herb garden is thriving. Now is the perfect time to use those fresh, aromatic herbs before they disappear.
Ingredients · Servings 4
- 1 lb thinly sliced beef (beef chuck, flank, tenderloin, ribeye, or sirloin)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar (or your sweetener of choice)
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (vegetable, peanut or avocado)
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 yellow onion (peel and cut into wedges)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 14 oz package vermicelli rice noodles (medium or thin size)
- Scallion oil (Mở Hành)
- Leafy lettuce
- Vietnamese herbs
- English or Persian cucumbers
- Pickled Daikon and Carrot (Đồ Chua)
- Roasted peanuts
- Fried shallot (Hành Phi)
- Vietnamese dipping sauce (Nước Chấm)
Method · 28 min
- Slice your choice of beef against the grain, about ¼” thick, and set aside in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, mix oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, oil, garlic, and onions. Adjust seasoning to taste if necessary. Pour this mixture over the beef, gently toss until evenly combined, then set aside to marinate while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Cook the vermicelli rice noodles according to package instructions. Thinly slice the lettuce, cut the cucumbers into thin strips, wash the herbs, and coarsely chop the toasted peanuts.
- Heat a large skillet and melt butter. Add the marinated beef and pan-fry for about 3 minutes total on high heat.
- Add a handful of vermicelli rice noodles to a bowl and a spoonful of scallion oil on top of the noodles. Add beef, lettuce, herbs, cucumber, pickled daikon and carrot, roasted peanuts, and fried shallots. Serve the sauce on the side in a small bowl. When ready to eat, drizzle sauce over everything in the bowl, toss everything together, and enjoy.
One Vietnamese dish that uses up the herbs beautifully and makes for a refreshing dish during the summer is Vietnamese beef noodle salad (Bún Bò Xào).
