I stumbled across this recipe while going through a cooking slump - desperately needing some new ideas and inspiration. The first time I made it, I was blown away by the flavors! Now, with only slight modifications, it has become a regular for dinner. It is so quick and simple to make that it doesn't seem right for it to taste this good!
I think that it would be a fantastic recipe for one person, or as leftovers - although there are never any leftovers from it around here... If you're cooking for one, I would go ahead and make the whole thing, but keep the individual ingredients separate until ready to fix it. So far we have always eaten it with the beef hot, but I'm thinking that it would be just as phenomenal cold.
Here it is, then: my version of Skinnytaste.com's Vietnamese Shaking Beef. I hope that you enjoy it as much as we have!
Vietnamese Beef Salad
1 - 1 1/2 lbs beef sirloin, trimmed of fat and cut into largish bite-sized chunks
5 cloves minced garlic (use fresh, its worth the effort!)
1 T sugar
1 T oyster sauce
1 T fish sauce
1 t sesame oil
1 t low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 c red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c rice vinegar, divided (sushi vinegar works well, too)
1 1/2 T sugar, divided
1 1/2 t kosher salt, divided
1 T lime juice
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
8 oz assorted fresh greens (I used spinach and baby mixed greens)
1 tomato, thinly sliced (or a handful of grape tomatoes, halved)
1. In a bowl or bag that will hold all of your meat, combine the garlic, sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sesame oil and soy sauce. Stir well. Add the meat, stir or shake to coat well. Marinate at least several hours, or overnight.
2. An hour or so before eating, in a small bowl or bag combine the red onion, 1/4 c rice vinegar, 3/4 T sugar, and 3/4 t kosher salt. Mix well. Let this sit in the fridge until ready to assemble the salad. Please, DON'T SKIP THIS STEP! If you think you don't like red onion, try this anyway. Trust me. Just do it. (I didn't give my onions quite enough time to pickle when I made this for the picture. Ideally, they will be almost translucent and the pickling liquid will be pinkish-purple.)
3. In a small dish or cruet, combine the remaining 1/4 c of rice vinegar, 3/4 T sugar, 3/4 t kosher salt, plus the lime juice and fresh ground pepper. Set aside.
4. Heat a heavy skillet on medium-high. I use a cast-iron skillet, so I don't add any oil, but you might need to add a touch of extra-virgin olive oil, depending on your pan. Add the meat and all of the marinade. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the beef is browned and cooked to your desired "doneness".
5. Meanwhile, assemble the salad greens on plates. Add the sliced tomatoes and pickled red onion. Drizzle the dressing over the salad. Top the salad with the beef, when it is finished.
