Vietnamese Beef Salad

Top-down view of vietnamese steak salad with sirloin and rice noodles

Made with thinly sliced sirloin, crisp veggies, rice noodles, and a zesty lime dressing, our easy Vietnamese Beef Salad recipe makes a delicious lunch or dinner!

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Vietnamese

Keyword Steak Salad, steak salad recipe, vietnamese beef salad, vietnamese steak salad

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Marinating Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings servings

Calories 494kcal

Author Isabel Laessig

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 cilantro 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 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste or equal parts garlic and ginger mixed into a paste

Vietnamese Salad Dressing

2 Tablespoons sesame oil
1 lime juiced
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 Tablespoon honey

Instructions

In a small bowl, mix juice from limes, fish sauce, and garlic ginger paste.
2 limes, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic ginger paste
Pour over sirloin steaks brought to room temperature. Cover and soak for at least 20 minutes.
2 sirloin steaks
Place 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.
1 cup dried rice noodles
Peel and cut carrots into strips. Slice cucumber into ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Chop lettuce, cilantro, and mint leaves. Finely slice red chili, and leave the seeds in. Place your prepared vegetables in a large bowl.
2 medium carrots, 1 large cucumber, 1 butter lettuce, 1 handful fresh cilantro, 10 fresh mint leaves, 1 red chili
Add the noodles, then cover and place in the refrigerator.
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 sesame oil, juice from lime, fish sauce, and honey. Mix well.
2 Tablespoons sesame oil, 1 lime, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 Tablespoon honey
Toss everything together to mix the salad ingredients with the noodles. Unwrap and slice the steaks, then add them to the top of the salad.
Pour the Vietnamese salad dressing and mix. Serve, and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Let the steaks sit for 30 minutes before you plan to cook them to let them come to room temperature. This helps them to cook evenly.
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.
Use a meat thermometer if you aren't sure about the timing.
Slice steak against the grain for the most tender cuts of beef.
Butter lettuce or gem lettuce are both soft lettuces that work well for Vietnamese beef salad recipes. If you can't find them, I recommend using a green leaf lettuce mix.
Very thinly slice the carrots and cucumbers for best results. A vegetable slicer is perfect for this.
You can swap rice noodles for other thin noodles, such as Chinese egg noodles or Japanese ramen noodles.
Leaving the seeds in the chilies will give the salad a kick of spice. If you want a salad without any spice, remove the seeds from the chilies.

Nutrition