Vietnamese Beef and Watercress Salad
This Vietnamese beef and watercress salad has chunks of pan seared beef on a bed of crispy watercress and is dressed in a tangy Vietnamese nuoc mam sauce. It is a great way to to get more vegetables in your diet and is perfect for anyone looking for an easy and healthy meal for family or friends. Measurements: 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tbsp = 15 ml, 1 tsp 5 ml
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 400 gm beef steak (best you can afford) at room temperature and cubed (Note 1)
- 150 gm watercress / leafy salad mix / or both, washed and trimmed
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 6 - 8 cherry tomatoes or 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 10 stalks of coriander, chopped
- 1/2 granny smith apple, cut into thin strips
Marinade
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- pepper
- 1 tsp corn flour
Nuoc Mam Salad Dressing
- 1 tbsp hot water
- 3 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp palm vinegar or white vinegar
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 - 2 birds eye chilli, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the marinade ingredients and the cubed beef in a large bowl. Then cover with cling wrap and allow to marinate for 20 mins.
- Make the salad dressing by combining the sugar and hot water in a bowl. With a spoon, dissolve as much of the sugar as possible.
- Add the remaining dressing ingredients and combine thoroughly. Cover with cling wrap and set aside.
- Prep all your vegetables. For best results, spin dry the watercress / salad mix after washing.
- Heat a pan on medium - high heat and add vegetable oil. Fry the beef cubes to desired state. I like mine medium, so roughly 5-6 mins. (Note 2)
- Place the watercress / salad mix, tomatoes, red onion and green apple in a large bowl.
- Just before serving, spoon half of the dressing into the salad and toss.
- Check the salad for seasoning. Add more dressing if needed and serve the remaining dressing in a bowl for anyone who wants additional sauce.
- Place the salad on a plate with the beef cubes on top and serve with rice.
Notes
- If you are short on time, skip marinating the beef and do not cube the steak. Cook it like you would a normal steak with a little salt and pepper on each side. Cut it into thin strips before tossing through the salad.
- Make sure the fry pan is hot and is large enough so that the beef cubes are not overcrowded. This will ensure you get a nice sear on the beef and do not steam it.