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Ginger Beef with Rice Noodles and Herbs
Our starting point for this dish was a recipe from Charles Phan of The Slanted Door restaurant in San Francisco. Phan calls for flank steak in his re-creation of a beef stir-fry with noodles that he had in Hanoi. We, however, like the rich, meaty flavor of sirloin tips, a cut sometimes sold as flap meat or faux hanger. It's fine if the tips are in two or three pieces, as the meat will be sliced for serving. If you can't find sirloin tips, opt for flank steak. If the flank is of an even ½-inch thickness, it does not need to be pounded. We used Thai Kitchen thin rice noodles (sometimes called rice vermicelli). Check the package directions for soaking times, as they can vary. And if the noodles are in very long strands, snip them a few times with scissors after draining to make them easier to eat. If the taste of the fish sauce is too strong in the dressing, thin it with a few teaspoons of water.
4
Servings
Tip
Don’t skip pounding the sirloin tips. This allows the marinade to penetrate the muscle fibers and helps the meat cook evenly. Don't slice the meat immediately after cooking. A short rest allows the juices to redistribute.
40 minutes
Ingredients
-
¼
cup plus 1 tablespoon fish sauce, divided
-
2
tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger, divided
Directions
-
01In a medium bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, 1 tablespoon of the ginger, 2 teaspoons brown sugar, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Set aside. Place the sirloin tips between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and, using a meat mallet, gently pound them to an even ½-inch thickness. Add the beef to the fish sauce mixture and turn to coat. Marinate at room temperature for 15 minutes.
Reviews
July 12, 2025
Super tasty & easy
Super tasty and easy. This is a go to for us, especially in the summer.
December 17, 2024
So good!
We barely spoke during dinner as we were too busy eating and making sounds of enjoyment! I have made many Vietnamese style rice noodle salads but this was definitely the best! And I did follow the recipe including the steak tips which came out excellent. I would try on the grill during the summer as well. The abundant herbs and top quality fish sauce really made the dish sing. Also made a simple Asian style carrot and daikon salad to go with it. Delightful dinner we will have often!
October 18, 2024
Flavorful and quick
Another winner that I’ll put into rotation. The noodle salad is bright and fresh with the sauce and herbs. I put in a couple chopped Thai peppers for extra spice in mine. Flank steak was what was available in my store and it worked out well. As someone else pointed out, this noodle salad would also be great with shrimp, chicken or tofu if beef isn’t your preference. Very versatile. I used plain vegetable oil as I didn’t realize I was out of peanut oil and it still turned out fine.
October 1, 2024
Absolutely delicious!
This one will remain on the list of go to meals.
October 1, 2023
Sunday Funday
Fabulous!! Used 2lb flank steak, marinated overnight. Grilled 6 min on each side over charcoal. Just delightfully delicious. Also used cashew instead of peanuts and toasted sesame oil in lieu of peanut oil.
Delicious! I had to use flank steak because thats what the store had, and they gave me 1.5 pounds so I increased the marinade by half to accommodate the extra beef. Maybe because my flank steak wasn't thin enough, but it should have been cooked a little bit longer than the recipe said. Next time I'll use a meat thermometer to check. This dish also made so much noodles, at least for my 2 person household! I had so much left over that I made the Vietnamese meatballs from the book the next night and served those with the noodles which was a good pairing.
A family favorite recipe! We could eat this (and almost do) weekly with some slight additions or variations. Tonight I had skirt steak so used that but have also used sirloin tips. The rice noodle salad is so fresh and light and flavorful. Its great with other vegetables added like slivered peppers, snow peas,... Also good with grilled or sautéed shrimp, tofu, and of course chicken. Definitely try this one!
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A fantastic recipe, really more than the sum of its parts. I followed it to the letter except that I used flank steak and cooked it on the grill at high heat rather than in a skillet. The plentiful fresh herbs provide enough freshness that you almost don't need to serve it with anything else, but it is further enhanced with soft lettuce (great for wrapping the noodles and beef), cucumbers and radishes. Although not Vietnamese, it is also delicious with radish kimchi, which provides both flavor and crunch!