Tag Archives: Vietnamese
Shaking Beef – Bo Luc Lac
Posted on 14. Aug, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
The weather in England seems so erratic these days! A couple of weeks ago, it was so hot and all of a sudden, it feels like Fall/Autumn now! The leaves on the trees are falling, and the temperature has dropped about 10˚C! Seems like summer has come and is now quickly bowing out..
Anyway, I had made this Shaking Beef-Bo Luc Lac for dinner last night. This is a fantastic Vietnamese beef dish; sweet, sour, spicy, and tangy! I like the pineapples in the dish. Well, if you are going to give this a try, just make sure you have some hot steamed rice to go with it!
Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham
Ingredients
1 1/2 Tbsp Fresh Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Fish Sauce
1 Tbsp Sugar
2 Thai Bird Chilies, chopped
1 Tbsp Oyster Sauce
2 tsp Soy Sauce
2/3 lb Beef Sirloin or Flank Steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 to 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, sliced
1/4 Ripe Pineapple (about 1/2 cup), cut into bite-sized slices about 1/4 inch thick (optional)
1/2 Cup Asian Basil Leaves, cut in half
1/4 Red Onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
3 Cups Watercress, washed, picked over and torn into bite-sized sprigs
1 Ripe Tomato, cut into thin wedges
Method
Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chilies in a large bowl. Set aside.
Place the oyster sauce, soy sauce and beef in a medium bowl and toss to coat the meat evenly.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 5 seconds. Add the beef and quickly stir-fry it until just charred on the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add to the bowl with the lime sauce.
Add the pineapple slices, if using, Asian basil and red onion to the beef mixture. Spread the watercress and tomatoes in an attractive manner on a serving platter. Arrange the beef mixture and all its juices on the watercress and serve immediately.
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Beef Wrapped In Pepper Leaves
Posted on 29. Jul, 2009 by Guy Boulud.
This is a delicious Vietnamese appetizer. It is part of a popular dish known as Beef in Seven Ways, featuring multiple beef courses. If you are are unable to get pepper leaves, you can substitute it with grape leaves. The beef rolls are typically served with table salad and a dipping sauce. The salad consists of either red or green leaf lettuce, cucumber, bean sprouts, and some Vietnamese herbs. As for the dipping sauce recipe, you can find it here.
Recipe adapted from Pleasures Of The Vietnamese Table by Mai Pham
Beef Wrapped In Pepper Leaves – bo nuong la lot
Ingredients
4 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 1/2 tsp Minced Garlic
1/2 Yellow Onion, chopped (about 2/3 cup)
2 Tbsp Finely Chopped Lemongrass
3 Tbsp Chopped Roasted Peanuts
1 tsp Ground Turmeric
2 tsp Sugar
2 tsp Fish Sauce
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 lb Coarsely Chopped Ground Beef
30 Large Pepper Leaves (Betel leaves)
4 (6 – 8 inch) Bamboo Skewers
Vietnamese Dipping Sauce, for serving
Table salad, for serving
Method
Heat 2 Tbsp of the oil in a pan over moderate heat. Add the garlic and onion and stir until softened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Add the lemongrass, peanuts, turmeric, sugar, fish sauce, salt and ground beef. Mix with a fork until well blended and sticky, about 2 to 3 minutes. Set aside for 30 minutes.
To make the rolls, place 1 heaping Tbsp of the meat mixture in the center of a pepper leaf. Using your fingers, shape the meat into a cylinder about 2 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Wrap the leaf around the meat but leave the sides open. (If necessary, use 2 leaves.) When done, place the roll seam side down. make the remaining rolls in the same way.
Thread 5 rolls onto each bamboo skewer, positioning the rolls so they touch one another at the seams. Set aside until ready to cook.
Heat the remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a large nonstick frying pan over a low heat. (Make sure the pan is large enough to accommodate the skewers. If not, shorten the skewers.) Add the beef rolls and cook until the meat is done, about 5 to 7 minutes total. Do not overcrowd the pan. Reduce the heat as necessary to keep the leaves from charring.
Transfer the skewers to a platter. Remove the skewers and serve the rolls with salad and Vietnamese Dipping Sauce.
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