Vietnamese Grilled Beef Rice Plate with Scallion Oil

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Thin-sliced beef marinated in lemongrass, garlic and fish sauce hits a screaming-hot pan and is done in two minutes. What turns it into a real rice plate is the pair of sauces: a warm scallion oil spooned over the rice and a bright, punchy nuoc cham for dipping and drizzling. Add cucumber, pickled carrot and a fried egg if you want the full lunch-counter treatment.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb beef sirloin or flank steak, very thinly sliced against the grain
• 2 stalks lemongrass, tough outer layers removed, tender core minced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tbsp neutral oil

• 8 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts kept together)
• 1/3 cup neutral oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or very finely minced
• 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced (or 1/2 tsp chili garlic sauce)

• 1 cup carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
• 1 cup daikon radish, julienned (or more carrot)
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
• 1 English cucumber, sliced
• 1 tomato, sliced
• 4 eggs, fried sunny-side up (optional)
• 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, crushed (optional)
• 1/2 cup cilantro and mint leaves

Instructions

1. Slice the beef while it is very cold — freeze it for 20 minutes first — into pieces about 1/8 inch thick and 2 inches wide, cutting against the grain. Thin slices are the whole trick: they sear before they have time to toughen.
2. Make the marinade: in a bowl, stir together the minced lemongrass, garlic, shallot, 2 1/2 tbsp fish sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, sesame oil, black pepper and 1 tbsp neutral oil until the sugar dissolves. Add the beef, toss with your hands to coat every slice, and let it sit at room temperature 20 minutes (or refrigerate up to 4 hours).
3. Pickle the vegetables: toss the carrot and daikon with 1/2 tsp salt, let stand 5 minutes, then squeeze out the liquid. Stir the rice vinegar and 2 tbsp sugar together until dissolved, pour over the vegetables and set aside at least 20 minutes, tossing once or twice.
4. Cook the rice: combine the rinsed jasmine rice with 2 3/4 cups water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, cover, reduce to the lowest heat and cook 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and let it steam, covered, 10 more minutes, then fluff.
5. Make the scallion oil: put the sliced scallions in a heatproof bowl with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp sugar. Heat 1/3 cup neutral oil in a small pan over medium-high until it shimmers and just begins to smoke, about 2 minutes, then pour it directly over the scallions. They should sizzle hard and turn bright green. Stir and set aside — it will keep loosening up as it cools.
6. Make the nuoc cham: whisk 1/4 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup warm water until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the lime juice, grated garlic and sliced chile. Taste — it should be equally salty, sweet and sour, with a clean bite. Add water 1 tbsp at a time if it's too aggressive.
7. Sear the beef: heat a cast-iron skillet or heavy pan over high heat for 3 minutes until it is just barely smoking. Working in 3 batches so the pan never crowds, lay the beef in a single layer and cook undisturbed 60 to 75 seconds until deeply browned, then flip and cook 30 to 45 seconds more. Transfer to a plate and repeat, wiping out any burnt sugar between batches. Total cooking time per batch should not exceed 2 minutes.
8. If using eggs, fry them in a little oil in the same pan over medium heat until the whites set and the edges crisp, about 3 minutes.
9. Build each plate: mound rice on one side and spoon 1 to 2 tbsp of scallion oil over it, letting it soak in. Pile the seared beef alongside with a drained handful of pickled carrot and daikon, cucumber and tomato slices, and a fried egg. Scatter with herbs and crushed peanuts and pour nuoc cham generously over the rice and beef, with extra in a small bowl at the table.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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