Vietnamese Beef Salad Recipe: Get a Hearty but Wonderful Dish

The seasoned richness of minced beef, combined with the flavor of garlic, and garnished with lime and chillies comes together beautifully in this beef salad. This, together with crunchy vegetables, peanuts and cooked rice noodles makes it a perfect meal that is healthy, easy to make, and bursting with flavors. This salad is a must-try when you need something light for lunch, or when you just want to have a fulfilling dinner devoid of all the congestion that usually comes with dinners.

Beef Salad Ingredients

• Beef mince – 500g
• Red chillies 2, one sliced thinly, one chopped finely
• Four cloves of garlic crushed
• 100ml of oyster sauce
• The juice of two limes and one lime cut into wedges
• 300g of cooked rice noodles
• Three julienne cut carrots
• 300g bag of beansprouts
• A small handful mint leaves, picked
• 50g roughly chopped unsalted peanuts

Nutritional Facts

This salad is excessively rich in protein because of the beef mince, and has a considerable amount of vitamins owing to the fresh vegetables of beansprouts, carrots, and mint. The high amount of lime juice present provides for a tangy boost to this meal, whereas, the peanuts provide healthy fats. The rice noodles present carbohydrates which would make the meal filling, but remain light at the same time making it an ideal balanced meal.

How to Prepare Beef Salad the Vietnamese Way

Step 1: Prepare the Beef

1. Prepare a frying pan and turn on the heat until it’s medium-high. Dry fry the ground beef until it is brown and crisp at its edges. Discard any additional grease that may remain.
2. Season the pan with finely chopped red chili and garlic and continue to cook for an additional two to three minutes or until cooked and aromatic.
3. Add the oyster sauce and lime juice and mix thoroughly. Continue cooking for an additional five minutes or until the mixture adheres to the back of a tablespoon.

Step 2: Assemble the Salad

1. Prepare a few bowls and place a portion of cooked rice noodles in each one.
2. Place a portion of beef mixture on the top of the noodles in each bowl.
3. Place some shredded carrots, beansprouts, and mint leaves around the edges of the bowl and droop it inside the bowl.
4. Add chopped peanuts and sliced red chili on top for added texture and taste.
5. Mix all the ingredients thoroughly before consuming the salad to blend the flavors properly.

Recipe Tips for Vietnamese Style Beef Salad

• Substituting Proteins: You can use chicken or tofu instead of beef mince should you wish to experiment with a variation of this recipe.
• Alter the Spice Level: If you wish to avoid spicy foods, cut down on the red chilli or leave out the chopped red chilli altogether.
• Salad as a Full Meal: This Vietnamese beef salad can be served alone as a light meal or even a side dish with grilled meat and seafood.

Conclusion

This simple and healthy Vietnamese style beef salad is rich in different textures and taste profiles and is also very easy to make. It is a perfect meal for someone in search of a great nutritious meal, which is mouthwatering and doesn’t skimp on any taste with its protein, vegetables, and fresh herbs.