Vietnamese-Style Beef Salad with Rice Noodles

Ingredients

• 500 g beef sirloin or rump steak
• 100 g bean sprouts
• 200 g vermicelli rice noodles
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 cucumber, cut into ribbons or matchsticks
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts, roughly crushed
• 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
• 3 spring onions, green tops only, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 30 g fresh mint, leaves picked
• 30 g fresh coriander
• 2 limes, juiced
• Fine salt and black pepper
• 100 g prawn crackers
• 4 tbsp nuoc cham dipping sauce

Method

1. Soak the rice noodles in boiling water until just tender, following the packet timing. Drain, rinse under cold water and shake dry.
2. Whisk the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar and rice vinegar until the sugar dissolves. It should taste sharp, salty and sweet in that order.
3. Pat the steak dry, rub it with the oil and season well. Heat a heavy frying pan until smoking, then sear the steak for 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly against the grain.
4. Divide the noodles between bowls and add the cucumber, beansprouts, beef, chilli and spring onions.
5. Add the mint and coriander, then spoon over the dressing and toss lightly. Finish with the crushed peanuts.