Vietnamese Beef Salad

I came across this recipe in a magazine and have added some extras and its still a favourite years later.

500 gm sirloin steak

5 tablespoons of fish sauce

1 tablespoon of sesame oil

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

2 tablespoons of lime juice

3/4 cup of white wine vinegar

1/4 cup of caster sugar

1 long red chilli finely chopped

150 grams thin vermicelli rice noodles

1 large carrot, peeled, finely shredded or spiralled

2 lebanese cucumbers

1 cup of coriander

1 cup of mind

fried shallots to serve

salted and roasted peanuts heated in oven to serve

Marinade steak in 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and 1 table spoon of sesame oil and half the garlic.

Combine vinegar and sugar in small saucepan over a medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to the boil transfer to a bowl to cool, add remaining fish sauce, garlic, chilli, soy sauce, lime juice, 1 tablespoon of sesame oil and adjust amounts until you have the right mixture of sweet, salty and sour.

Place noodles in bowl of boiling hot water for 4-5 mins then drain. Cook steak, rare works well with this recipe, allow to stand then slice thinly.

Place steak, noodles, carrot, cucumber, coriander and mint leaves on serving plates, drizzle with dressing, and load plenty of shallots and peanuts on top. Easy as!