Vietnamese Style Sirloin Summer Salad

This bright, easy and refreshing salad is inspired by a trip to Vietnam where herbs are the star of almost every meal. Their national dipping sauce that combines fish sauce, sugar, water, garlic and chilli is borderline addictive and served with almost everything. Here it is the dressing of this bright, zingy salad that is so so tasty.

How to make this Vietnamese-style beef salad

Serves:2

Time Chopping + assembly - get yourself a mandolin to make your chopping life so so much easier just watch your fingers!

INGREDIENTS

For the Salad:

1  Sirloin steak marinated for a few hours in soy sauce, honey and black vinegar (or lime juice if you don’t have vinegar)

150g Rice Vermicelli noodles, cooked and cooled according to the packet instructions

1 carrot, peeled and ribboned

1/4 red cabbage, finely sliced (using a mandolin is a great way to do this)

1 bunch coriander, chopped

1 bunch basil, roughly torn 

Small handful mint, roughly torn 

2 spring onions finely sliced

100g radishes, sliced

1/2 cucumber, cut in half, deseeded and then cut into half-moons

1 red chilli finely sliced

A handful of salted peanuts

FOR THE DRESSING

1 cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated (freezing it makes it so easy to grate)

1 garlic clove, crushed

30 ml fish sauce

2 limes (zest and juice of 1 lime + wedges to serve)

1tbs caster sugar or palm sugar

30ml water

A small bunch of coriander, finely chopped

Pinch of chilli flakes or diced chilli which is more traditional but I wanted to be able to control the heat for my non-spicy lovers! 

METHOD

• To make the dressing, combine all your ingredients in a little jam jar and shake vigorously. Traditionally there’s lots of chopped chilli in the dressing but I like to leave that out and add chilli at the end to taste.

• Cook the steaks on the BBQ or in a pan for 2-3 minutes on each side for medium-rare and leave to rest.

• Meanwhile, add all salad ingredients to a large bowl (except the peanuts) and pour the dressing all over. Toss together and then add to a large plate. 

• Thinly slice the steak and drape it beautifully over the salad then sprinkle over the peanuts and some chilli to taste.