Light, spicy beef, rice perfect for warm day

By Joan Namkoong
Advertiser Food Editor

Nuoc cham, a table sauce made of lime juice, sugar, garlic, chili peppers and nuoc mam (fish sauce), accompanies many Vietnamese dishes. Eugene Tanner • The Honolulu Advertiser

This is a perfect hot-weather dish: spicy warm beef on top of cool rice noodles and crunchy vegetables. You could make it with pork, chicken, fish or seafood instead of beef.

This recipe is by chef and author Mai Pham, from her book, "The Best of Vietnamese and Thai Cooking" (Prima Publishing, 1996).

Warm Beef on Cool Rice Noodles

• 1/2 pound dried rice vermicelli
• 2 cups red leaf lettuce, shredded
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup cucumbers, julienned
• 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1/3 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, chopped

Topping

• 1/2 pound top sirloin
• 2 tablespoons lemon grass, minced
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• Half of a red onion, thinly sliced

Garnishes:

• 2 tablespoons scallion oil (optional, recipe follows)
• 2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, chopped
• 1 cup nuoc cham (Vietnamese dipping sauce, recipe follows)

In a 4-quart saucepan, bring water to a boil. Cook rice noodles for 4-5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain well.

In large bowl, combine lettuce, beans sprouts, cucumbers, mint and basil and toss gently. Divide into four bowls. Top each with 1/4 of the noodles. Set aside.

Combine beef, lemon grass, fish sauce, soy sauce oyster sauce and sugar in a mixing bowl and set aside. Heat oil in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic and onions and stir fry for 30 seconds.

Add beef and cook until just done, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.

Divide beef among the bowls; garnish with peanuts and a drizzle of scallion oil (optional). Serve; each person drizzles nuoc cham over the mixture and gently tosses the ingredients before eating.

Nuoc Cham
(Vietnamese dipping sauce)

• 1 clove garlic, sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground chili paste
• 1 Thai bird chili or Hawaiian chili pepper
• 1/4 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
• 2/3 cup hot water
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice with pulp
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons shredded carrot for garnish

Place garlic, chili paste and chili in a mortar and pestle and grind to a paste. Or finely mince the garlic and chili. Combine with remaining ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Ladle sauce over serving bowls and garnish with shredded carrot.

Scallion oil

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions

Heat oil in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Add scallions and when they bloom in the hot oil, remove from heat. Transfer to a bowl and cool.