Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Noodle Salad Recipe

A fresh and flavourful Vietnamese noodle salad made with fragrant lemongrass beef, rice vermicelli noodles, crisp vegetables, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts and tangy nuoc cham dressing.

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 4

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Course: Main Dish

Tags: Vietnamese Recipes · Lemongrass Beef · Noodle Salad · Beef Recipes · Rice Noodles · Healthy Recipes · Fresh & Easy

Ingredients

For the Beef

• 400g beef sirloin or flank steak, thinly sliced
• 2 stalks lemongrass, white part finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp black pepper

For the Salad

• 200g rice vermicelli noodles, cooked and drained
• 1 cup lettuce, shredded
• 1 cucumber, julienned
• 1 carrot, julienned
• ½ cup fresh herbs, such as mint, coriander and Thai basil
• ¼ cup crushed peanuts
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced

For the Nuoc Cham

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 60ml water
• 1 red chilli, thinly sliced, optional
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Method

1. Marinate the beef

Add the chopped lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, vegetable oil and black pepper to a large bowl.

Add the sliced beef and mix well until evenly coated.

Cover and marinate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours for a deeper flavour.

2. Prepare the nuoc cham

In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and water.

Stir until the sugar has dissolved.

Add the minced garlic and sliced chilli, if using.

Set aside.

3. Cook the beef

Heat a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat.

Add a little vegetable oil.

Stir-fry the marinated beef in batches for 2–3 minutes on each side, until browned and cooked through.

Remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Assemble the salad

Divide the cooked rice vermicelli noodles between serving bowls.

Top with the shredded lettuce, cucumber, carrot and fresh herbs.

Add the cooked lemongrass beef.

5. Garnish and serve

Sprinkle the noodle salads with crushed peanuts and sliced red chilli.

Drizzle over the nuoc cham dressing or serve it on the side.

Serve immediately.

Notes

• Marinate the beef: Marinating for up to 2 hours gives the beef more time to absorb the lemongrass and savoury flavours.
• Cook in batches: Avoid overcrowding the pan so the beef browns rather than steams.
• Keep it fresh: Prepare the vegetables and herbs shortly before serving to maintain their texture.
• Adjust the heat: Add more or less fresh chilli to the nuoc cham depending on your preferred spice level.
• Herb options: Mint, coriander and Thai basil work well together, but you can adjust the combination to taste.