Lemongrass Beef Vermicelli Bowl

A classic Vietnamese dish

This Vietnamese-inspired lemongrass beef vermicelli bowl is one of my favorite meal prep recipes. It reheats well and balances savory marinated beef with refreshing vermicelli noodles, cucumbers, and pickled daikon and carrot salad (Recipe). The dish is topped with fried shallots, scallion oil, and crushed peanuts for extra flavor and texture.

Notes:

• Vermicelli Noodles: After cooking, rinse the noodles until the water runs clear to keep them fresh all week.

• Cucumber: For presentation, peel an English cucumber horizontally and roll the slices.

• Skirt Steak Substitute: Sirloin can be used as an alternative to skirt steak.

• Lemongrass: Finely chop the lemongrass for easy chewing and better flavor distribution.

Recipe

Ingredients

• 12 oz rice vermicelli noodles

• 1 lb skirt steak, thinly sliced

• 2 Tbsp fish sauce (preferably Red Boat)

• 1 Tbsp brown sugar

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 stalks lemongrass, finely chopped

Toppings

• Fried shallots (2 shallots, thinly sliced)

• Scallion oil (4 green onions, chopped, with ¼ cup hot oil)

• Crushed peanuts

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Directions

1. Cook the Vermicelli Noodles:

   • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add rice vermicelli noodles and cook according to package instructions.

   • Drain and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear. Set aside.

2. Marinate the Beef:

   • In a medium bowl, combine the sliced beef, fish sauce, brown sugar, garlic, and lemongrass. Mix well, preferably with your hands, and let it marinate for 15 minutes.

     

3. Cook the Beef:

   • Heat a pan over medium-high heat and add a little oil. When the pan is hot, add the marinated beef and stir-fry until just cooked, about 2 minutes.

4. Prepare the Fried Shallots:

   • Heat oil in a small pan and add the sliced shallots. Fry, stirring frequently with chopsticks, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.

     

5. Make the Scallion Oil:

   • Reserve the hot oil used for the shallots and pour it over the chopped green onions in a bowl to create scallion oil.

Build Your Meal Prep Bowls:

1. Assemble: Place vermicelli noodles in one half of your meal prep container.

2. Add Toppings: Top the noodles with lemongrass beef, fried shallots, scallion oil, and crushed peanuts.

3. Add Vegetables: In the other half of the container, add cucumber rolls, steamed broccoli, and pickled daikon and carrot salad (see recipe).

4. Store: Keep in the fridge for up to a week. Reheat and enjoy whenever you're ready

Let me know if you make it!.