Grilled Lemongrass Beef Bánh Hỏi Platter

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Flank steak soaked in a punchy lemongrass, fish sauce and sugar marinade, then seared hard until the edges char and caramelize. It's served the way Vietnamese rice-plate shops do it: fine vermicelli sheets brushed with scallion oil, a mountain of herbs and lettuce, softened rice paper and a bowl of nuoc cham so everyone rolls their own at the table.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb flank or skirt steak
• 3 stalks fresh lemongrass, tough outer layers removed
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 shallots
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp baking soda (optional, for tenderizing)

• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1 Thai chile, thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp finely shredded carrot

• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup neutral oil
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

• 1 lb fresh or frozen bánh hỏi (fine vermicelli sheets), or 8 oz thin rice vermicelli
• 12 sheets round rice paper wrappers (8 in)
• 1 head butter or red leaf lettuce, leaves separated
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
• 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves
• 1 Persian cucumber, cut into thin spears
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 3 tbsp roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Trim the steak of excess fat and cut it into pieces about 4 inches wide, following the grain. Slice each piece across the grain into strips a scant 1/4 inch thick — freezing the steak for 20 minutes first makes this much easier. For skirt steak, you can leave it in 5-inch lengths and slice after grilling.
2. Make the marinade: trim the lemongrass to the pale bottom 5 inches and slice thin. Pulse the lemongrass, garlic and shallots in a food processor (or mince very finely by hand) until they form a coarse paste. Scrape into a bowl and stir in the fish sauce, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil, neutral oil, black pepper, and the baking soda if using.
3. Add the beef, toss with your hands until every strip is coated, cover, and refrigerate 2 to 8 hours. Don't go past 12 hours — the fish sauce and sugar will start to cure the meat and make it dense.
4. Make the nuoc cham: stir the sugar into the warm water until fully dissolved, then add the fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, chile and shredded carrot. Taste and adjust — it should be bright and lightly sweet, not salty-sharp. Refrigerate until serving.
5. Make the scallion oil: put the sliced scallions and salt in a small heatproof bowl. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium heat until it shimmers and a scallion slice sizzles immediately, about 275–300°F. Pour the hot oil over the scallions, stir once, and set aside; the greens should turn glossy and bright, not brown.
6. Prepare the bánh hỏi: if using fresh sheets, steam them in a covered steamer basket over simmering water for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and pliable (frozen sheets need 8 to 10 minutes). If using dried vermicelli, boil 4 to 5 minutes until just tender, drain, rinse briefly under cool water, drain very well, then divide into 12 loose nests on a platter. Brush or spoon the scallion oil generously over the sheets or nests while still warm.
7. Arrange the platter: lettuce leaves, mint, cilantro, Thai basil, cucumber spears and bean sprouts on a large tray with the bánh hỏi. Pour the nuoc cham into small individual bowls and set the peanuts and lime wedges alongside.
8. Heat a grill to high (450–500°F) or set a cast-iron grill pan over high heat for 5 full minutes until faintly smoking. Lift the beef out of the marinade and let excess drip off — wet meat steams instead of charring. Grill in a single uncrowded layer for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes per side, until the edges are deeply caramelized and blackened in spots. Work in 3 or 4 batches, wiping the pan between rounds if it gets sooty. Total internal doneness should be medium; thin strips cook through almost instantly.
9. Pile the beef on a warm plate and let it rest 3 minutes, then scatter with chopped peanuts. Meanwhile, fill a wide shallow dish with warm water for the rice paper.
10. To eat, dip a rice paper sheet in the warm water for 3 to 5 seconds and lay it flat — it will keep softening. Top with a lettuce leaf, a piece of bánh hỏi, herbs, cucumber and a few strips of beef, fold in the sides and roll up tight. Dip in nuoc cham. Or skip the rolling entirely and eat it as a bowl: bánh hỏi, herbs, beef, peanuts, and nuoc cham poured over.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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