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Made with thinly sliced sirloin steak, crisp veggies, rice noodles, and a zesty Vietnamese dressing, our easy Vietnamese Beef Salad recipe makes a delicious lunch or dinner! Let the steak marinate, then cook it up in just 10 minutes.
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Vietnamese Steak Salad Recipe
I could eat steak any time of day, breakfast lunch or dinner. One of my favorite ways to make it is in a salad! This healthy Vietnamese Steak Salad has everything: crisp vegetables, rice noodles, and the most amazing salad dressing.
The Vietnamese salad dressing is so delicious. It’s zesty from the lime and fish sauce, with a nice sweet and nutty flavor from sesame oil and honey. And oh, the steak marinade! Garlic ginger paste brings it all together.
I just know you’re going to love this easy Vietnamese salad recipe. It’s always a winner at my house, and it’s so simple and light that it makes you feel good, too.
What is a Vietnamese salad?
There are a lot of different kinds of Vietnamese salads, but ours is most like a traditional Gỏi bò salad.
Gỏi bò literally means “beef salad”, and generally consists of beef, lime, fish sauce, chili sauce and peppers, mint, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, and other common Vietnamese vegetables and seasonings.
The beef is marinated, sliced thinly, and placed on top of the salad after grilling.
Vietnamese Salad Dressing
We make our salad dressing using a mix of:
- Sesame oil
- Lime juice
- Fish sauce
- Honey
It has a classic zesty sweet-and-sour flavor. It will separate when it’s left to sit, so remember to give it another stir before pouring it over the salad!
How to Cut Cucumbers for Salad
For this recipe for beef salad, we cut our cucumbers into ribbons. You can do this very easily if you have a straight vegetable peeler or a Y-peeler.
- Cut off both ends of the cucumber.
- Slice the length of the cucumber into long, thin ribbons using a vegetable peeler until you reach the seeds.
- Turn the cucumber a quarter of the way, then repeat slicing until the entire cucumber is cut into ribbons.
Family Foodie Tip: Another option is to cut the cucumber into thin strips. This will add the perfect crunch to this healthy meal.
What is the best cut of beef to use for salads?
We use sirloin steak as it’s a tender, juicy cut that cooks up in just minutes. Sliced thinly over the top of vermicelli salad, it’s a perfect choice.
Skirt steak and Flank steak also make good choices. They are thin, quick to cook, and slice perfectly thin. Another fantastic choice is grilled London broil.
Anytime I happen to have leftover steak, I make this delicious healthy salad.
⭐ Family Foodie Tips
- Let the steaks sit for 30 minutes before you plan to cook them to let them come to room temperature.
- Do not move or flip the steaks while they’re cooking on each side. Let the steaks cook through and get nice grill marks on each side.
- Always let your steaks rest after cooking for at least 10-15 minutes. This way they will retain the juices and make for an amazing eating experience.
📖 Easy Asian Recipes
- Instant Pot Pho Recipe
- Korean Cream Cheese Garlic Bread Recipe
- Chinese Prawns Recipe (Shrimp Stir Fry)
- Korean Braised Short Ribs (Galbi Jjim)
- Dragon Chicken Recipe (Spicy Chinese Chicken)
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📋 Recipe
Vietnamese Steak Salad Recipe
Equipment
- Griddle pan or skillet
Ingredients
- 2 sirloin steaks 8 oz. each
- 2 medium carrots peeled and cut into strips
- 1 large cucumber peeled in ribbons
- 1 butter lettuce roughly chopped, or 2 baby gem lettuce
- 1 handful fresh coriander roughly chopped
- 10 fresh mint leaves torn
- 1 red chili finely sliced with seeds
- 1 cup dried rice noodles
Beef Marinade
- 2 limes juiced
- 1 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 tsp. garlic ginger paste or equal parts garlic and ginger mixed into a paste
Vietnamese Salad Dressing
- 2 Tbsp. sesame oil
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 tsp. fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp. honey
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix juice from 2 limes, 1 tsp. fish sauce, and 1 tsp. garlic ginger paste. Pour over two 8 oz. sirloin steaks at room temperature. Cover and soak for at least 20 minutes.
- Place 1 cup dried rice noodles in a bowl and cover them with boiling water. Let them sit for 1 minute, then carefully drain and rinse under cold water.Peel and cut 2 medium carrots into strips. Slice 1 large cucumber into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Chop lettuce, coriander, and mint leaves. Finely slice red chili, leave the seeds in.Place your prepared vegetables in a large bowl, then add the noodles. Cover and place in the fridge.
- Heat a griddle pan or skillet over medium heat. When hot, add the marinated steaks. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side for medium rare, or for longer if you want them more well done. Remove and wrap loosely in foil to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.
- In a bowl, mix 2 Tbsp. sesame oil, juice from 1 lime, 1 tsp. fish sauce, and 1 Tbsp. honey. Mix well.
- Toss everything together to mix the salad ingredients with the noodles. Unwrap and slice the steaks, then add to the top of the salad. Pour over the Vietnamese salad dressing.
Video
Notes
- Remove the steaks from the fridge 30 minutes before you plan to cook them to let them come to room temperature.
- Do not move or flip the steaks while they’re cooking on each side. If they start to smoke, reduce the heat.
- Let your steaks rest loosely wrapped in foil for 8 minutes after cooking!
Let us know what you think or ask a question about the recipe!