Beef Main Asian

Vietnamese rare beef salad (bo tai chanh)

Name: Vietnamese rare beef salad (bo tai chanh) recipe
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian
Ingredients: 35g peanuts; 40.00 ml fried shallots; Lime wedges and prawn crackers, to serve; 1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced; 1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks; 60ml rice vinegar; 1 tsp white sugar; 200g very thinly sliced beef fillet (ask your butcher, or freeze the fillet, then slice as thinly as you can); 60ml lime juice; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 1/2 tsp white sugar; 1/4 tsp white pepper; 125.00 ml coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra, to serve; 125.00 ml Thai basil leaves, roughly torn, plus extra, to serve; 62.50 ml mint leaves, roughly torn, plus extra, to serve; 1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced diagonally; 1 small red capsicum, cut into matchsticks; 2 long red chillies, finely chopped; 20.00 ml toasted rice powder (see note); 2 tsp mirin

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Bo tai chanh (Vietnamese rare beef salad)

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by Khanh Ong

KHANH ONG, MASTERCHEF

Feb 09, 2024

“Bo tai chanh is a super-vibrant and deliciously simple beef salad that’s cooked using the acidity in limes. The meat changes from red to light pink in the fridge as the garlic and fresh lime begin to coat the fillet. Combined with lightly pickled veg and a herbaceous salad, and finished with peanuts and nutty shallots on top of a prawn cracker, it’s a playground of texture and flavour. We usually serve this with different types of prawn crackers or cassava crackers. Grab some salad and place it on the cracker and have a bite.” – Khanh Ong

1/4 cup (35g) crushed roasted peanuts
2 tbs fried shallots
Lime wedges and prawn crackers, to serve

Pickled vegetables

1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, cut into matchsticks
1/4 cup (60ml) rice vinegar
1 tsp white sugar

Beef

200g very thinly sliced beef fillet (ask your butcher, or freeze the fillet, then slice as thinly as you can)
1/4 cup (60ml) lime juice
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper

Herb salad

1/2 cup coriander, roughly chopped, plus extra, to serve
1/2 cup Thai basil leaves, roughly torn, plus extra, to serve
1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly torn, plus extra, to serve
1 Lebanese cucumber, halved, seeds removed, thinly sliced diagonally
1 small red capsicum, cut into matchsticks
2 long red chillies, finely chopped
1 tbs toasted rice powder (see note)
2 tsp mirin

Method

1.

For the pickled vegetables, place all ingredients in a medium bowl with a large pinch of fine salt and mix well (vegetables don’t need to be fully covered in liquid). Chill for 1-2 hours (no longer, or vegetables will begin to break down).
2.

For the beef, mix all ingredients well in a medium bowl with a large pinch of fine salt, then chill for at least 30 minutes or up to a maximum of 2 hours, making sure the beef is well coated in the marinade.
3.

For the salad, combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Drain beef and pickled vegetables and toss through the salad.
4.

Transfer salad to a serving platter. Garnish with peanuts, shallots and extra herbs, and serve with lime wedges and prawn crackers on the side.

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Recipe Notes

You can buy roasted rice powder from Asian grocers, or make your own. Toast raw rice in a frypan until golden, then whiz in a spice blender until a powder, or grind using a mortar and pestle.