This aromatic Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef is a family favorite and I know it'll be yours too! This lemongrass beef bowl combines fresh herbs with tender slices of marinated flank steak into a well balanced and refreshing meal. Served over a bed of vermicelli rice noodles, an array of fresh herbs and crunchy veggies and dressed with Vietnamese nước mắm chấm, it's a satisfying meal that's comforting, nourishing and easy to whip together!
What is lemongrass beef?
Lemongrass beef or bun bo xao is a traditional Vietnamese noodle bowl, often referred to as a Vietnamese beef noodle salad due to all of the fresh herbs and vegetables in it. Dressed with a Vietnamese nước mắm chấm, it combines salty, savory, garlicky, citrusy, sweet and spicy flavors to make a well balanced and refreshing meal.
Why you'll love this lemongrass beef recipe
- Versatile and customizable - Load it up with your favorite fresh herbs and vegetables, adjust the sauce to your preferred level of saltiness, or even swap out the protein - it's delicious with chicken, pork, or tofu.
- Delicious year round - Lemongrass beef can be served hot, cold, or even room temperature. It's like a hearty salad!
- Comes together easily - It's a low effort meal! Enjoy it as is or serve it over rice vermicelli noodles with a sprinkle of crushed peanuts. It's a complete meal that everyone will love!
- Reheats well - Meal prep this for the week and heat up the beef prior to serving! It's great for an easy meal prep or easy weeknight meal!
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Ingredients
- Flank Steak: Choose well-marbled meat and slice against the grain for maximum tenderness.
- Onion: For a depth of savory flavor.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch will help tenderize the normally tough flank steak, through a Chinese tenderizing process called velveting!
- Lemongrass Stalks: Only use the tender bottoms, about ⅓ of the way up the stalk. Finely mince it so that the flavor infuses into the meat!
- Garlic: For a savory flavor and delicious aroma!
- Brown Sugar: Brown sugar will balance out all the flavors and help the beef caramelize.
- Oyster Sauce & Fish Sauce: I like to use both oyster sauce and fish sauce to add loads of umami flavor.
- Oil: Use a neutral, high smoke point oil to sear the beef.
- To serve: Serve your Vietnamese lemongrass beef in a bowl loaded with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, mint, cucumbers, crushed peanuts, Vietnamese pickles (if you have them on hand), and top it all off with homemade Vietnamese fish sauce (nước mắm)!
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Bowls
Step 1: In a bowl, add flank steak, cornstarch, lemongrass, garlic, brown sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and oil. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add onions and mix again. Allow to marinade for 30 minutes.
Step 2: While it’s marinating, cook vermicelli noodles according to packaging and prepare your veggies and herbs.
Step 3: In a large pan over medium-high heat, add neutral oil. Working in batches, add flank steak and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned and cooked through.
Step 4: To assemble, to a bowl add your noodles, herbs, veggies, and cooked beef. Top with homemade Vietnamese fish sauce and toasted peanuts and fried shallots and enjoy!
Top Tips
- Use a sharp knife to thinly slice the flank steak against the grain! Without a very sharp knife, it won’t be as easy to do.
- Don't skip the marinating time – 30 minutes allows the flavors to penetrate the meat and the cornstarch helps to tenderize the tough cut!
- Cook the beef in batches if needed to ensure proper caramelization. Overcrowding the pan will cause steaming and prevent that gorgeous sear.
- Prep everything beforehand! I recommend having all garnishes and noodles ready before cooking the beef, since it cooks quickly.
Substitutions & Variations
These Vietnamese lemongrass beef noodle bowls can be adjusted depending on your preferences! Here are some substitution and variation ideas:
- Meat: Beef is definitely traditional here, but you can use ground beef, pork or even chicken if you prefer.
- Noodles: Use rice in place of noodles. For a low carb option, you can use kelp noodles or remove the noodles completely!
- Lemongrass: If you can't find lemongrass stalks, substitute with lemongrass paste or frozen lemongrass.
Storage Suggestions
Store the cooked lemongrass beef separate from vegetables and noodles in airtight containers. The cooked beef will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and cooked noodles can be stored for up to 2-3 days. Prep the vegetables and herbs just before serving!
FAQs
Yes! Actually, this Vietnamese lemongrass beef is delicious served warm or at room temperature, so you can prep this ahead of time and serve when you are ready. If you want to prep more than a few hours ahead of time, store each component separately and assemble when ready to serve.
I like to use flank steak or skirt steak here, since it isn't a super expensive cut but will still stay tender after marinading and quickly searing!
This usually happens if the beef slices are too thick or the meat didn't marinate long enough. Make sure to slice thinly against the grain, marinate it with the sauces and cornstarch and cook for just a few minutes over high heat!
More Recipes to Try
- Beef Japchae
- Vietnamese Garlic Noodles
- Vietnamese Avocado Chia Pudding
- Beef Banh Mi
- Ginger Chicken Congee
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak thinly sliced
- ½ onion sliced
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 lemongrass stalks bottom ⅓ finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon oil
For Serving
- homemade nước mắm/nước chấm aka Vietnamese fish sauce
- lettuce
- vermicelli noodles
- mint
- Vietnamese pickles optional
- cucumber
- crushed peanuts
- fried shallots optional
Instructions
- In a bowl, add flank steak, cornstarch, lemongrass, garlic, brown sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, and oil. Mix until thoroughly combined. Add onions and mix again. Allow to marinade for 30 minutes.
- While it’s marinating, cook vermicelli noodles according to packaging and prepare your veggies and herbs.
- In a large pan over medium-high heat, add neutral oil. Working in batches, add flank steak and cook for 3-5 minutes or until slightly browned and cooked through.
- To assemble, to a bowl add your noodles, herbs, veggies, and cooked beef. Top with homemade Vietnamese fish sauce and toasted peanuts and fried shallots and enjoy!
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