Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef and Noodle Salad Recipe (2024)

I make a LOT. of banh mi sandwiches at home and have read/tried at least a dozen ways of pickling the julienned carrots/daikon and, to be quite honest, I found the quick, supereasy method is just fine: shred your daikon/carrots (Oxo has a great julienne "peeler" for whem I'm too rushed for mandoline); a small t. sugar, 1/4-1/2C rice vinegar, pinch sea salt, mix and let sit 20-60 min. They are great, and hold over for a few days or more. Easypeasy....

Loved this! The sauce was great. I love heat, so I went all out on the chiles. I don't eat red meat too much, so I substituted it with extra-firm tofu. This was great! I still marinated the tofu in the sauce that is used for the beef, and the flavor was perfect. I realized after eating it how much heavier this dish is with the noodles. I agree with ckp, the noodles can be left out. I will do this the next time I make this dish.

I use whatever veggies are in hand. Red peppers, bean sprouts are good additions. Daikons are hard to find so I sub regular radishes julienned. Sometimes I just leave the noodles out! Key is enough of at least 3 herbs (mint, basil, cilantro). Meat: have tried pork loin (best), chick (dry), shrimp (good for my non-meat friends) and prefer to char quickly on stovetop grill vs stirfry.

Daikon and carrots are often pickled:
Prepare them by salting them heavily with kosher salt. Allow them to sit for an hour. Water leeches out and allows for more crunchiness. Rinse them a couple of times to get most of the salt out... should be slightly salty. Using your hands, wring them out to get rid of additional water Mix equal parts water, sugar and white or rice vinegar together and pour this mix over the carrots and daikon. Should be ready in about an hour but overnight is better.

Delicious dish! Add as many veg as you want, it will just make it better. We all agreed that the sauce should be doubled at least...and agree with others who said more fish sauce and more lime!

Good recipe - we quadrupled the sauce at home, and served it instead of water in our drinking glasses. Still a little dry - needed more sauce.

Nope. We use daikon

We visit Paris at least once a year, and make at least one pilgrimage to Avenue de Choisy, me for the Pho, my husband for the "best Bun Bo Xao" ever. Thanks, David, for this recipe which my husband swears is as good as that at Pho Banh Cuon 14. We used sous vide flank steak and chicken breasts which we quickly mixed with the marinade and followed with a quick sear -- absolutely fantastic!

Sauce was a little bland. Added a little bit more lime juice and fish sauce.

it's a good idea to drain the liquid and then dry the meat. i usually spread it in a layer between paper towels and press. a pain to do the extra step, but worth it :)

double the sauce

We loved this and thought it was as good as any bun bo xao we had had in a Vietnamese restaurant. I used Red Boat fish sauce and found it much better than the brands I had been using. Definitely a keeper--and it looked lovely on the plate as well.

This is one of the best -- freshest-tasting, most flavorful - Vietnamese dishes I've ever made -- and definitely the best of those in the NY Times I've tried. Thank you David Tanis! I used pickled vegetables adn grass-fed ground beef (for flavor), and Shirataki noodles (for lightness) -- but other than that I did what he said and it was amazingly good.And thank you Lynn Rogers -- I had some carrots I'd pickled but I used your method for the cucumbers. Thanks!

OMG this was perfect! It tasted EXACTLY like the dish I always ordered at a local Vietnamese restaurant in Berlin. EXACTLY. Uncanny. I am just blown away.

Loved the dressing! Used a touch of maple syrup instead of the sugar.

This Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef and Noodle Salad recipe is an absolute gem! The combination of flavors is exquisite, and the step-by-step instructions make it easy to recreate this delicious dish at home. Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe – it's definitely going into our regular rotation!

I made this with chicken and tofu because half the family is vegetarian. I added a little soy sauce and sesame oil to the marinade and let it sit about an hour. Huge success - everyone loved!

This was excellent! I took the suggestion of flash-pickling the carrots and daikon day of. Glad I did! I tripled the sauce, also glad since I have a bit for leftovers. I spent the better part of an afternoon souring all the ingredients, but it was worth it. Fresh, delicious, and colorful. I was also happy I sprung for the top shelf fish sauce...what a difference.

Too salty!!! Make sure to add water to the dressing, otherwise its delicious. I used 2 tbsp sugar- beef marinade is horrible, do not use again

Made as directed. Delicious!

This recipe is impressive and super flavorful and beautiful. I double the dressing and only add about a tablespoon or two of water. We like bold flavors. Instead of lemongrass I used Thai kitchen red curry paste. Also made it with boneless skinless chicken thighs and broiled the meat. My husband (who is a professional chef) raves about it and wants it again. This time we are going to try making it with the skirt steak. Cannot wait!

I used beef chuck tender (mock tenderloin) for this recipe and it came out fantastic. Went heavy on the lemongrass in the marinade and the ginger in the dressing. I also substituted Thai bird chilis for the dressing and used serrano chilis for garnish. Solid dish and entirely authentic.

I found the sauce too sweet, but the beef marinade was terrific. Will be cutting the sugar next time.

Good knife skill practice :). Very good and worth the prep!

Added basil and mint with the lettuce leafs. Subbed pistachios for peanuts.

Have made this 3 times for my family-we all loved it. Absolutely the best Nuoc Mam recipe I’ve ever made-perfect complex flavors. Clean delicious meal!

I’d recommend setting the ratio of fish sauce to sugar 1:1 or else the beef ends a tad salty

Can you prepare this ahead and serve all room temperature? I’d like to bring it to a picnic

I’ve made this several times, and will make it again for dinner tonight. It’s a total winner - as good or better than what we’ve had at restaurants. Please don’t shy away from the recipe due to concern about the prep time. Buy a julienne peeler ($8 or so on Amazon) and make very short work of julienning the vegetables. You deserve to have this dish in your life. ;)

Wonderful dish. Made it with skirt steak-great use for that cut-big beefy flavor against the sweet hot tangy sauce. The noodles are a calming counterpoint to the spices. And you can make lettuce wraps as you near the bottom of your plate! Perfect!