Bún Bò Huế Trộn (Spicy Lemongrass Beef Dry Noodles)

Method

1. Slice the beef 3 mm thick against the grain (half an hour in the freezer makes this easier). Toss with half the minced lemongrass, part of the garlic and part of the fish sauce and sugar, and leave to marinate for 15 min.

   Add in this stepBeef sirloin or striploin 200 gLemongrass, very finely minced 1Garlic, minced 1¼Fish sauce ¾ tbspSugar 1 tsp

2. Bring 3 L of water to a rolling boil over high heat and cook the noodles for 12 min, until there is no hard core. Rinse under cold water to remove the starch and drain very well; leftover water dilutes the sauce.

   Add in this stepThick round rice noodles, dried 160 g

   high heat

3. For the saté mixing sauce, put most of the oil and the sliced shallots in a small pan on medium-low heat and stir as they fry. As soon as the shallots turn light brown, lift them out onto kitchen paper; they darken and crisp as they cool. In that oil, fry the remaining lemongrass and garlic for 30 seconds, turn off the heat and stir in the chilli flakes, paprika and shrimp paste, letting the residual heat cook them. Mix in the remaining fish sauce and sugar and the juice of half the lime. This stage takes about 5 min in total. Keep wet ingredients away from the hot oil so it does not spit.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 2⅛ tbspShallots, thinly sliced 2Lemongrass, very finely minced 1Garlic, minced 1¾Dried chilli flakes 1 tspPaprika 1 tspVietnamese fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc) 1 tspFish sauce 1¼ tbspSugar 1½ tspLime ½

   medium-low heat

4. Toast the peanuts in a dry pan on medium heat for 3 min, shaking often, until they smell nutty, then chop roughly.

   Add in this stepRaw or roasted peanuts 20 g

   medium heat

5. Heat a 26 cm frying pan on high heat until it just starts to smoke, add the remaining oil and spread the beef in a single layer. Sear for 3 min: when the edges brown, flip and cook only until the pink disappears. Work in batches if needed; an overcrowded pan steams the meat.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 0.9 tbsp

   high heat

6. Put the noodles in a large bowl, add the sauce and toss well. Divide between bowls and top with the beef, bean sprouts, cucumber and herbs, then scatter over the peanuts and crispy shallots. Serve with the remaining lime cut into wedges.

   Add in this stepMung bean sprouts 60 gCucumber, julienned ½Mint and other herbs such as coriander 8 gLime ½