Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Salad (Bun Bo Xao) Recipe

Ingredients (13)

• 8 ounces (about 250 grams) beef sirloin
• 1 tablespoon nước mắm (fish sauce)
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon finely sliced lemongrass (use only the tender center of the white portion of the stalks)
• 8 ounces (225 grams) thin rice noodles, prepared according to package directions, then drained and cooled
• 1/3 cup julienned cucumber
• 1/3 cup pickled carrot and radish
• 1 finger chile, or 2 Thai bird chiles, thinly sliced, optional
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 2 cups fresh herbs, such as cilantro, lemon basil, mint, perilla, or a combination of 2 or more
• 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons fried crisp shallots (available in Asian stores)
• 1/3 cup nước mắm pha, for serving