Lemon cured beef salad (Goi bo tai chanh). Tantalise your taste buds with this mouth-water beef salad.

This beef salad is sensational, it brings fond childhood memories of my uncle and his drinking buddies. They frequently get together on weekends and order ‘Do Nhau’ meaning beer drinking food from the local restaurants. While the other kids were busy entertaining each other, I would sit with the adults and enjoy the food.

This deliciously simple salad of finely sliced beef, cured in lime juice and tossed with fresh herbs is incredible. It’s sweet, sour, slightly salty, soft and crunchy. A perfect balance of textures and flavours, typical example of South-East Asian salad.

If you have concerns eating beef prepared in this method, using grilled beef is a fantastic alternative.

Bo luc lac (Wok tossed black pepper beef)

The literal translation of 'Bo luc lac' is shaking beef, referring to the shaking and tossing action when cooking this dish. Without a doubt, it's one of my favourite beef dishes. I like to use lots of freshly crack pepper, I love the burst of pepper flavour when biting into it. Most of the time when I eat out, it's serve with red rice. But when making it at home, I like to serve it with a watercress salad and pickle onions


Recipe

250g sirloin beef, cut into large chunks
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp White pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 onion, cut into large chunks
1 tbsp oil

Bo luc lac sauce

1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp thick sweet soya sauce
1/2 tbsp freshly crack black pepper
1/4 tsp sesame oil

1/2 tbsp butter

Method

1. Prepare the Bo luc lac sauce by mixing the ingredients together and set aside until needed.
2• Cube the beef and season with salt and pepper.
3• Heat up a wok or non stick pan on high with 1/2 tbsp oil and sear beef for 2 minutes. Push beef to one corner of the wok.
4• Add 1/2 tbsp oil and toss in onion and garlic, followed by the Bo luc lac sauce.
5• Toss all together until sauce reduce and thickens a little. About 30 sec
6• Add in the butter and toss a couple of times and remove from heat.
7. Enjoy with a watercress salad or rice.

Watercress salad and pickled onions

1/2 red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/4 tbsp white vinegar
watercress

Method

1. Dissolve sugar in vinegar, and toss in the sliced onions. Set aside for 5 mins or until needed.
2. Plate up the watercress, use the pickling juice as the dressing and position the pickled onions on top.

Canh cu sen duoi bo (Lotus root and oxtail soup)

It has been really cold and miserable these last couple of days. Most of the time, I would whip up a stir-fry or salad for dinner. But tonight, I wanted something else. I wanted something mum used to make, so I cooked a simple soup of lotus root and oxtail. I often recall my mother making this soup, it would not only warm up and nourish the body but heart and soul as well. It's something that I always love having and it's something that always bring back fond memories.


Recipe

1 oxtail (cut into large chunk)
1 kg lotus roots
2 onions
2 carrots
1 knob Ginger
2 tsp salt

Method

1. Wash an drain oxtail and add to stock pot with 3 Lt of water.
2. Bring water to a boil and skim off any impurities. Lower heat to a simmer and Keep skimming any impurities that rises to surface.
3. Peel onions and roughly slice ginger and add to stock. Simmer for 2 hours and season with salt.
4. Peel carrots and lotus roots. Cut carrots into large chunks and lotus roots into 1cm slices.
5. Add to stock and cook for another 30 minute or until carrots and lotus roots are cooked to your liking.
6. Taste and test for seasoning.

Bo Kho (Vietnamese beef stew)

This weekend, I have some dear friends over for dinner. Being winter, I wanted to make something that is warm and hearty. Something we can share and that we all enjoy eating. Most of all something I can make ahead of time so I can entertain when the guess arrives, instead of being in the kitchen. Bo kho was the first thing that comes in my head. What can be better for those cold winter nights than a rich, hot bowl of Bo kho with hot crusty bread. With fall of the bone tender ox tail, coupled with it's rich and spicy gravy sauce. I could happily eat it again the next morning, if there where any leftovers.  

Recipe

Marinade

1 kg gravy beef
1 ox tail
2 stalk of lemongrass(cut into battons)
1 large knob ginger(roughly sliced)
3 star anise
1 cassia bark
1/2 tbsp white pepper
2 tbsp fish sauce

3 tbsp oil
1 onion, dice
3 clove of garlic, crushed


Seasoning

2 tbsp hoisine sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 packet Bo kho seasoning
2 tbsp cooking wine
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce

3 Ltr water
1 tbsp cornflour
1 kg carrots


Accompaniments

1/2 onion thinly slice
1 cup shallots chopped
1 cup coriander chopped
Bunch of basil leaves
Hot crusty French baguettes

dipping sauce

salt
pepper
lemon juice

Method

1. In large mixing bowl, combine the ginger, lemongrass, gravy beef, ox tail with the spice and marinate for at least 2 hours.
2. In a large casserole pot on high heat, sear the ox tail and gravy beef in small batches with a little oil and set aside.
3. Turn down heat to medium and saute the onion and garlic, add little more oil if needed.
4. Add the meat back into the casserole with the seasoning and mix well and top up with water enough to cover meat.
5. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for at least 3 hours until meat is tender and fall of the bone.
6. Add the carrots in and cook for half an hour prior to serving. Taste and test for seasoning.
7. Thicken sauce with cornflour slurry (1 tbsp of cold water and 1 tbsp of cornflour).
8. Enjoy with hot crusty baguettes.