This is a name that the people from the north call it, literally means ‘Southern beef noodle’. However, if you go to find this dish in the south of Vietnam, just ask for grilled beef noodle. What I like about this dish is that there is no oil, fat involved, it’s just lean meat
A couple of days ago we made the arrangement for Emanuele’s mamma to come to visit us. October it is. She will be spending her birthday here with us, it will be a lot of fun for sure. Our communication is very basic as it’s my Italian. She cannot really speak English but we somehow get on by using hand gestures – being Italian she is very good at it 
– and Google translator. How did we use to live without the internet is still a mystery to me, it seems almost impossible to believe.
We often sit down on the couch and we write each other sentences on the tablet and wait for the translation. It is time consuming, but it is the only way we have to share things. However, I must say the translations are not always accurate.
I find this to be the case especially when trying to translate form Vietnamese into English, it is just a mess. My advice if you are trying to use a translation tool to translate into/from Vietnamese, it’s to ensure you get someone to check it first, or you may end up saying things like ‘I like the cat that is on your head’.
We were thinking of taking some time off and do some hiking together. As we mentioned in one of our previous posts. Emanuele’s mum is a serious hiker. We may decide to rent a car and drive to Ardennes, in Belgium, very close to Luxemburg. We have never been but many of our friends had, all saying it is breathtaking. It is a region with forest, hills and mountains. Perfect for a weekend gateway.
The food is supposed to be very good, with the world best beers. Belgian beers are the best!
We will also go to SPA, this town is the origin of the name spa that we now know across the globe. A town famous for its healing cold springs. When mum is here there’ll be also a lot of cooking going on, so be prepared for some serious Italian recipes around that time
Considering that, I think we need more Vietnamese dishes, don’t we?
Ingredients
- For marinated beef: Beef steak: 600 g (1.3 pound), thinly sliced (against the grain)
- Lemongrass: 20 g (0.7 oz), minced
- Salt: 1 tsp
- Oyster sauce: 2 tbsp
- Sugar: 1 tsp
- Chicken stock powder: 1 tsp
- Oil: 2 tbsp
- For pickled carrot and cabbage: Carrot: 100 g (), julienned
- Turnip cabbage: 100 g (3.5 oz), julienned
- Vinegar: 1 cup
- Sugar: 1 cup
- Water: 2 cups
- For garnishing: (Curly) lettuce, mint, koriander: roughly chopped
- Cucumber: 1, julienned
- Bean sprout: 200 g (7 oz)
- The rest: Dried rice noodles: 200 g (7 oz)
- Garlic: 1 tbsp, minced
- (Pre-baked) Peanut: 4 tbsp, crushed
- Dipping fish sauce: 350 ml (1 1/2 cup)
Method
- For the pickled carrot and turnip cabbage: Dissolve sugar in water with vinegar, dip in the julienned carrot and turnip cabbage and set aside for at least 1 hour
- For the marinated beef: mix all the ingredients together and set aside for at least 30 mins
- Cook the rice noodles in hot water in 3-4 mins and let dry in a sieve
- Add 1 tbsp of oil in a non-stick frying (wok) pan and fry the marinated beef until it becomes not pink but not well-cooked
- Finishing the dish: Add noodles in a medium bowl, garnished with fresh and picked vegetables, then add the beef and sprinkle with crushed peanuts and pour over 1 tbsp dipping fish sauce. It is served with a small bowl of the dipping fish sauce set aside, adjust to taste of each one
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