A Salad Of Seared Beef From Vietnam

Seared beef makes for a great salad. The Vietnamese have their own take on this Western classic because in their language this is called ‘shaking beef’. Here, tender filet steak is marinated in rice wine and fish sauce, garlic, sugar and plenty of black pepper. It is stir-fried. The beef is served on a bed of watercress with a dressing of its own of pickled onion and olive oil. 

The French brought olive oil and watercress with them so it adds a trans-continental note for this dish.

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon rapeseed or maize oil
• 600g/1 lb beef steak – tenderloin, cubed
• 1 medium onion, halved then thinly sliced
• 1½ tablespoons cider or sloe vinegar
• a bunch of watercress with any stems removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt

Marinade:

• 2 teaspoons rice wine, sake, sherry or a mix of all.
• 4-5 cloves garlic, finely chopped minced
• 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoons sugar
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Mix all the marinating ingredients in a large bowl. Add the beef and mix so that all the cubes are coated. Marinate for 60 minutes in the fridge.
2. In a separate bowl mix the onion with the vinegar to produce a shallow pickle. Keep aside for 10 minutes and just press any moisture out of the onion using a paper towel.
3. Mix the watercress, pickled onion, olive oil and salt. Toss and place on a platter. Keep aside for the beef.
4. In a wok or skillet, heat the oil until its slightly smoking. Stir-fry the beef pieces for just over a minute. It should be well seared on the surface but pale pink in the middle. Take from the pan and place the beef pieces on the watercress.
5. Serve immediately