The famous world cuisine website Taste Atlas describes beef salad as a traditional Vietnamese dish. The ingredients of this dish include beef, lemongrass leaves, fresh chili, coriander leaves, mint leaves, cucumber, carrots, tomatoes with a dressing made from lemon juice, fish sauce, chili sauce, and sugar. The beef is the tenderloin, thinly sliced, marinated and stir-fried before mixing.

Beef salad has many different ways of preparation in each region. Below are 3 ways to make beef salad that are simple and quick, to reduce the feeling of fullness in family meals.

1. Raw beef salad with lemon

Ingredients for raw beef salad with lemon:

+ 1kg beef

+ 2 onions

+ 1 garlic bulb, fresh chili, 1 lemon

+ Vietnamese coriander, basil, lemongrass

+ 1 pack of shrimp crackers

+ Roasted peanuts

+ 2 tablespoons vinegar; fish sauce, seasoning powder, sugar...

Note: The beef you buy should be bright red, the meat fibers should be soft, small and not too smooth. When pressed, it should be firm and elastic, not sticky or have an unusual smell. Avoid buying beef that is dark red, has white spots on the meat fibers or feels mushy and slimy to the touch.

How to make raw beef salad with lemon:

Step 1: Prepare ingredients

+ To remove the bad smell from the beef, take the roasted ginger, crush it and rub it evenly on the meat before rinsing it with water. When the beef is clean, put it in the freezer for 1-2 hours to make the beef firmer and easier to slice. Then, take the beef out and slice it thinly and put it in a bowl. Add seasoning powder, sugar, cooking oil and mix well with the beef, marinate for about 15-20 minutes to let the beef absorb the spices.

+ Cut off the stem of the chili, peel the garlic and wash the lemongrass, cut into pieces and puree.

+ Pick the leaves of Vietnamese coriander and basil, wash and drain, chop finely. Cut the onion into 4 parts lengthwise, then cut horizontally into small pieces to prepare for the onion frying step. Cut 1 onion horizontally into thin slices to prepare for the salad mixing step.

To make the onions less pungent and more delicious, mix and soak for about 15 minutes: 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 125ml cold water.

+ Mix the fish sauce for the salad by taking 4 tablespoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of water, 4 tablespoons of fish sauce, juice of 1/2 lemon, 1 teaspoon of garlic, 1 teaspoon of chili and stir until dissolved. Next, make the dipping sauce by adding 4 tablespoons of cold water and 1/2 of the mixed fish sauce for the salad and stir well. The fish sauce for the salad should be thicker than the dipping sauce.

+ Fried shrimp cake

Step 2:

+ Add the chopped onions and fry until golden brown and then remove and drain the oil. Then, add a little more oil to fry the lemongrass and garlic until fragrant, then add the beef and stir quickly over high heat until the beef is rare and firm, then turn off the stove. Next, squeeze the juice of the remaining 1/2 lemon and pour it over the beef when it is warm to avoid bitterness and mix well, then scoop the beef into a bowl. The beef should be stir-fried until cooked to avoid toughness.

+ Wait for the beef to cool completely, then pour in the fish sauce. Add the sliced ​​onions to the bowl, then pour over the remaining fish sauce. Add 1/2 of the basil, Vietnamese coriander, fried onions, 1/2 teaspoon of chili, 1 tablespoon of peanuts, and mix well to combine the ingredients.

When scooping onto a plate, sprinkle the remaining fried onions, basil, and Vietnamese coriander on top.

2. Beef and eggplant salad

* Ingredients for beef and eggplant salad:

+ 300gr eggplant

+ 500gr beef fillet

+ Herbs, coriander, mint, chili pepper.

+ Chili, minced garlic.

* How to make beef and eggplant salad:

Step 1: Marinate the beef with 2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, 0.5 tablespoon MSG and minced garlic for about 30 minutes. Remove the stem of the eggplant, wash it, slice it and soak it in diluted salt water for 15 minutes to prevent it from turning dark, then wash it again.

Next, make the mixed sauce. Accordingly, you take garlic, chopped chili, fish sauce depending on your taste, salty or sweet, and 3 tablespoons of sugar, stir until dissolved and add lemon juice. This dish will be more delicious when eaten sweet and sour, so you should season the juice to taste.

Step 2:

After draining the eggplant, mix it with 1/3 of the sweet and sour fish sauce mixture. Stir-fry the beef until cooked, then mix it with the eggplant, add the remaining fish sauce and mix well to absorb. Then, chop the herbs and chili peppers, squeeze well, season again to taste and sprinkle with roasted peanuts.

This dish is delicious with rice paper.

3. Beef salad mixed with pennywort

Ingredients for beef salad mixed with pennywort:

+ 200gr pennywort

+ 150 gr beef

+ 1 onion, 1 small carrot, 1 lemon, 1 chili

+ 1 onion, 1 garlic bulb

+ Vinegar 1/3 cup rice

+ Seasonings: fish sauce, oyster sauce, cooking oil, salt, sugar, pepper.

How to make beef salad mixed with pennywort:

Step 1:

+ Pick out all the roots and damaged leaves of pennywort, wash them, soak them in diluted salt water for about 30 minutes, then remove and drain.

+ Peel and mince the shallots and garlic. Thinly slice the carrots, and thinly slice the onions and chili peppers. Take 1/3 cup of vinegar rice, add sugar to the bowl, dissolve, then add the thinly sliced ​​onions and soak for 10 minutes to reduce the pungency.

+ Wash the beef, slice it thinly, then marinate it with spices including minced garlic, pepper and oyster sauce for about 10 minutes to absorb.

Step 2:

+ Add cooking oil to the pan, saute the minced garlic until fragrant, then set aside in a bowl. Next, add the marinated beef and stir-fry quickly until the beef is cooked, turn off the heat, put in a bowl to cool.

+ Next, mix the salad dressing: Squeeze the lemon juice, add 2 teaspoons of sugar, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, a little minced garlic and chili and stir well. The ratio of the salad dressing varies depending on the type of fish sauce you use and season to taste.

Step 3:

After preparing all the ingredients, put pennywort, shredded carrots, and white onions in a large bowl. Add 2/3 of the salad dressing and mix well for about 10 minutes to absorb, then add the stir-fried beef and slowly add the remaining dressing, season to taste. When finished mixing, put it on a plate, sprinkle with a little garlic and fried onions.