Vietnamese Beef Salad 🥗 with Tamarind Sauce (Patreon)

Hai wrote out this recipe for those who requested it! Please keep in mind, he never measures anything, so these are his estimates. Please include or exclude as much of what you enjoy, according to your taste! 💕

Ingredients (serves 4) 📜

• 500g beef (tenderloin or flank steak)

• 1 onion (soaked in ice water to reduce pungency)

• Fresh herbs: basil, Vietnamese mint, perilla (optional)

• 1–2 limes

• 100g tamarind pulp (or tamarind paste)

• 10–12 cherry tomatoes

• 1–2 chilies (optional)

• Garlic, minced

• Seasonings: sugar, fish sauce, salt, pepper

Preparation 🧑‍🍳

1. Beef: Slice thinly. Blanch quickly in boiling water (30–40 seconds) until just cooked, then drain well.

2. Onion: Slice thinly, soak in ice water for 10 minutes, then drain.

3. Herbs: Rinse, pick the leaves, and drain.

4. Cherry tomatoes: Cut in half.

5. Tamarind: Soak tamarind pulp in hot water, mash, and strain to get tamarind juice.

Tamarind Sauce

• Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan, sauté minced garlic until fragrant.

• Add tamarind juice, 2 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp sugar, and ½ tsp salt.

• Stir until slightly thickened. Adjust taste (sweet, sour, salty to balance). Add chopped chili if you like spicy.

• Let cool.

Mixing the Salad

1. In a large bowl, combine beef, onion, cherry tomatoes, and herbs.

2. Pour tamarind sauce over, squeeze in some lime juice.

3. Toss gently to coat everything evenly.

4. Sprinkle with ground pepper and chili slices (optional).

Serving

• Arrange on a plate, garnish with extra available fresh herbs for looks. (basil, etc.)

• Best served with prawn crackers or steamed rice.

Enjoy ! 💕