Nga Nguyen

Beef salad with Vietnamese coriander (gỏi bò rau răm)

Home schooling continues… 

The kids love Mo Willems’ Lunch Doodles section, and parents love the precious quiet moment it brings. Here is 8-year-old’s newest passion: drawing with one continuous line. This one is called “Two connected men”. The upside of social distancing is that I will have lots of artwork to display.  

Beef salad with Vietnamese coriander (gỏi bò rau răm)

(Adapted from Vanh Khuyen) 

For 4 servings as appetizer.

Salad: 
1/2 red onion (thinly sliced)
300 ml ice water 
2 tbs white vinegar
25 g sugar
3 shallots (sliced about 2mm-thick)
Canola oil to fry
1/4 red onion (minced)
3 garlic cloves (minced)
Coriander stems (cut into 1″ length)
1 green mango (cut into matchstick-size)
1 bunch of Vietnamese coriander (coarsely chopped)
1 bunch of mint (coarsely chopped)
1 bunch of coriander (coarsely chopped)

Beef:
300 g beef flank (thinly sliced)
1/4 red onion (minced)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/2 tbs fish sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbs oil

Dipping sauce:
1 tsp water
1 tsp sugar (about 5 g)
1/2 tbs fish sauce
2/3 tsp lime juice (about a quarter of a lime)
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1 chili, optional (mincd)

Garnish:
Roasted unsalted almond (coarsely chopped)

  1. For the salad:
    • In a medium bowl, soak red onion slices with 300 ml icy water + 2 tbs sugar vinegar + 2 tbs sugar. Set aside.
    • In a large skillet, fry shallot slices with oil until golden. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.
    • Use the same skillet, fry minced red onion and minced garlic until fragrant. Add coriander stems and turn off the heat. Set aside. 
  2. For the beef:
    • Marinate beef with minced onion + minced garlic + fish sauce + sugar + oil. Set aside for 30 minutes. 
    • Use the same skillet, stir fry the marinated beef until cooked. 
    • Set aside and let it completely cool. 
  3. For the dipping sauce:
    • Mix all ingredients together and set aside.
  4. To assemble:
    • In a large mixing bowl, add shredded mango and drained onion sliced.
    • Add 1 tbs of dipping sauce and mix well. 
    • Add half of the vegetables (chopped Vietnamese coriander, mint, coriander). Mix well
    • Add beef and the remaining dipping sauce. Mix well. 
    • Add fried onion & garlic + 1/2 fried shallot + 1/2 chopped roasted almond. Mix well. 
    • On a large plate, arrange beef salad and sprinkle with the remaining fried shallots and roasted almond.