A satisfying yet light Vietnamese-inspired dish that blends bitterness, chilli-heat and a little sweetness
This recipe is inspired by the tasty Vietnamese classic Bò Lúc Lac, or ‘shaking beef’. The beef and marinade are traditional, and here I have paired the watercress salad with some bitter and peppery rocket and delightfully sweet blush pears, and dressed it all with a tangy balsamic sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 rib-eye steaks, each about 300g
- ½ tsp vegetable oil
- 100g watercress leaves
- 90g rocket leaves
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced lengthways
- 2 blush pears (as firm as possible), thinly sliced
- For the marinade
- 2 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tsp chilli paste
- 2 tsp garlic paste
- 4 tsp oyster sauce
- 60ml sweet chilli sauce
- 20ml lime juice
- For the dressing
- 60ml olive oil
- 1 tsp red chilli paste
- 1 tsp garlic paste
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 60ml balsamic vinegar
- 20ml light soy sauce
- 3 coriander stems, leaves and stems finely chopped
Method
- Put the steaks into a bowl along with all the marinade ingredients plus 2 tsp ground black pepper and massage well, ensuring they are fully covered. Cover and leave in the fridge for a minimum of 1 hour or, for best results, 3 hours, taking them out to room temperature 30 minutes before cooking.
- Wipe off as much of the marinade (reserve it) as possible and set aside. Add the oil to a medium frying pan over a high heat. When hot, add the marinated steaks and toss for 1 minute until medium-rare. Take off the heat and leave to rest.
- Put all the dressing ingredients into a small bowl, mix together well and set aside.
- Once rested, slice the steaks into strips.
- Gently toss the watercress and rocket leaves together, then place on a large serving plate. Add the onion and pears on top,
- then pour over the dressing, according to taste.
- Add the reserved marinade to a pan over a medium heat for 1 minute to warm through. Place the steak on top of the salad and drizzle over the marinade to finish.