Vietnamese Style Pepper Beef And Spinach Food

VIETNAMESE STYLE PEPPER BEEF AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Trim excess fat from meat and slice thinly (which is easier when meat is slightly frozen) against the grain.
• In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, sliced meat, 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, 2 teaspoons of the fish sauce, and the cornstarch; stir well to coat and set aside to marinate (the cornstarch tenderizes and makes the meat "velvety").
• Over high temperature, heat a large skillet or wok and - when the skillet is very hot - add the oil ("hot wok, cold oil, food won't stick"); add the marinated meat mixture and sauté until the meat is cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove cooked mixture from skillet and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and stir fry the minced garlic for 1 minute.
• Add spinach leaves and stir fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Add remaining 4 teaspoons fish sauce and tomato, and stir fry 2 minutes.
• Add the cooked meat mixture and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet, combine well, and cook until heated through and sauce comes to desired consistency (the cornstarch will effect the consistency - you can add a bit of water, broth, or sherry if it becomes thicker than you'd like).
• Serve immediately with hot cooked jasmine rice.
• Note: I've been told that "the recipe is not exactly Vietnamese, since we actually use minced pork to stir fry water spinach; beef is always more expensive than pork at home - the good cuts are often on their own, or cooked with minimal side ingredients; other cuts go into stews and soups" so feel free to try this with pork, too!
• Also, when I first made this recipe I really wasn't expecting too much from it - it came out much tastier than I expected, an absolute keeper (especially according to my husband)!

BEEF & SPINACH LO MEIN

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix the first six ingredients. Remove 1/4 cup mixture to a large bowl; add beef and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature 10 minutes., Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1-1/2 teaspoons canola oil. Add half of the beef mixture; stir-fry 1-2 minutes or until no longer pink. Remove from pan. Repeat with an additional 1-1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining beef mixture., Stir-fry water chestnuts and green onions in remaining canola oil 30 seconds. Stir in spinach and remaining hoisin mixture; cook until spinach is wilted. Return beef to pan; heat through., Drain spaghetti; add to beef mixture and toss to combine. Sprinkle with chili pepper.

VIETNAMESE SHAKING BEEF - BO LUC LAC

Steps:

• Mix together garlic, fish sauce, sugar, salt, and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil in a shallow dish or resealable plastic bag.
• Add beef and allow to marinate for 30 minutes or more.
• Mix together black pepper and vinegar and marinate onion in this mixture for 10-15 minutes.
• Then combine onion mixture with the oil and toss.
• Arrange watercress on a plate and spread onion on top.
• Heat remaining oil in a pan and stir-fry marinated beef until seared to desired doneness, being careful not to overcook.
• Spread beef over onions on watercress and serve.

VIETNAMESE BEEF AND SPINACH SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and blanch the spinach leaves for a few seconds until they are just wilted. Drain well and refresh in cold water to prevent further cooking. Drain again, squeezing out excess water.
• Combine the steak strips with the shallots, garlic, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce and a grinding of black pepper, and then set aside.
• Just before you are ready to eat, bring the chicken broth to a simmer in a large saucepan and stir in the remaining fish sauce, together with the lemon juice, sugar and chili.
• Stir in the blanched spinach and the beef, with its marinade.
• Bring the soup back to simmering point; add another good grinding of black pepper and serve at once.

RAU MUONG XAO (MADE WITH SPINACH)

Steps:

• Trim any fat from steak. Sliced thinly, against the grain.
• Chop onion finely and combine with meat, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce and cornstarch, set aside 10mins.
• Heat 1 TB oil in a wok/skillet. Add the meat mixture and stir fry until meat is cooked. Remove from pan, set aside.
• Heat remaining 1 TB oil in the pan, stir fry the garlic until fragrant.Add spinach and stir fry for 3 minutes.
• Add remaining fish sauce and tomato.
• Stir fry 2 minutes, then add the meat to the pan and give the mixture a good stir.
• Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 tsp pepper and serve immediately with jasmine rice and other dishes if desired.

AROMATIC AND SPICY BEEF STEW (THIT BO KHO)

Steps:

• Cut the beef into 1in cubes and set aside.
• Peel and finely chop the onions and garlic. Peel the shallots, but leave whole.
• Cut the lemon grass into 1in sections, from the bottom to about 1in from the top; cut off and discard the straw like top. Crush each section lightly with a mallet or other heavy object.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat.
• Add the onions, garlic and shallots, and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the lemon grass and continue to fry, stirring, until the onions are lightly browned. Turn off the heat.
• Take the shallots out of the pan and set aside.
• Heat the remaining 4 tablespoons oil in a large, wide, preferably non-stick pan over a high heat. When hot, quickly fry the meat cubes in batches, turning to brown them all over. Remove with a slotted spoon. Brown all the meat in this way.
• Return all the meat to the large pan. Add 4 cups water and the garlic mixture. Coarsely chop the beans in the yellow bean sauce (if not already crushed) and add them too.
• Also put in the chili powder, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns and sugar. Bring to the boil, then cover, lower the heat and simmer gently for 1¼ hours.
• Add the reserved shallots, cover again, and simmer for a further 15 minutes.
• Remove the lid, increase the heat to medium and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened a little and the meat is tender. Skim the fat off the top of the stew before serving.