Vietnamese Beef Salad with Wombok

Vietnamese Beef Salad on a white plate with red chopsticks on the side, half a lime and chilli.

5 from 2 votes

Our Vietnamese Beef Salad is fresh, fragrant, full of umami flavour and a complete winner served as a sensational weekday dinner option or as part of an Asian banquet.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Salad

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Keyword: beef, cabbage

Difficulty: Capable Cooks

Diet: dairy free

Servings: as a main

Calories: 548kcal

Author: Anastasia Papapetros

Equipment

Mandoline or V-Slicer
Non-stick frypan

Ingredients

For the beef

400 grams beef fillet (approximately 14.11oz)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemongrass, chopped
1 tablespoon ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon sesame oil

For the salad

1 kilogram Wombok/Napa or Chinese Cabbage (approximately 35.27 ounces)
1 medium carrot (approximately 120 grams / 3.5 ounces)
1 medium Lebanese cucumber or Persian cucumber (approximately 170 grams / 6 ounces)
½ cup mint, chopped
½ cup coriander, chopped
½ cup peanuts, roasted

For the vinaigrette

2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
4 tablespoons fish sauce
4 tablespoons lime juice, fresh
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red chilli seeds removed, finely diced

Metric - Imperial

Instructions

Step 1 - Marinate the Beef

Place beef in a container, add marinade ingredients, sea salt, and cracked black pepper. Toss to coat and keep covered.
While beef marinates, prepare the salad vegetables. Avoid refrigeration to maintain pan temperature.*

Step 2: Shake-up the Dressing

Trim, deseed, and finely dice chilli after rinsing under cold water.
Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar, season, and shake vigorously.

Step 3: Cook Beef to Your Liking

Preheat a non-stick frypan on medium-high heat.
Sear marinated beef fillet for about 3 minutes per side. Or to your liking.
Add leftover marinade to pan, allowing it to sizzle and evaporate.
Rest cooked beef for five minutes, then slice into thin pieces.

Step 4: Prepare the Veggies

Remove core, damaged leaves, and thick outer leaves from cabbage. Wash, pat dry and shred finely.
Wash and trim carrot and cucumber, creating ribbons with a vegetable peeler.
Rinse herbs, pat dry, and roughly chop.

Step 5: Assemble the Salad

Combine vegetables, herbs, cooked beef, and peanuts in a large mixing bowl.
Pour dressing over the mixture and toss well to combine.
Taste and season with sea salt and cracked black pepper if desired.
Arrange in a salad bowl and chill until ready to serve

Video

Notes

* Adding cold beef fillets to a hot pan lowers the temperature in the pan, and you will not be able to get a good sear on the fillets.

Nutrition