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Karen Martini's Vietnamese beef stir-fry with spring onion, green chilli and toasted rice

Karen Martini
Karen Martini

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This stir-fry makes a regular appearance on Karen Martini's family dinner table.
This stir-fry makes a regular appearance on Karen Martini's family dinner table.William Meppem

This is on high rotation in my house: I cook it almost weekly. The sticky soy and garlic on the beef is addictive, while the green chillies, with their gentle heat, bring a real brightness to the dish. Don't skip the toasted rice, either: the nutty flavour and crunch add so much.

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Ingredients

  • 1 bunch watercress

  • 2 tbsp jasmine rice

  • 900g beef (scotch, rump cap, hanger steak or eye fillet)

  • 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped

  • 2 tsp roughly ground black pepper

  • 1 tbsp fish sauce

  • 60ml grapeseed oil or other neutral oil

  • 2 white onions, diced

  • 1 green capsicum, cut into 3cm pieces

  • 2 long green chillies, sliced

  • 6 spring onions, white and most of the green, cut into 3cm batons

  • 1 lime, to serve

  • steamed jasmine rice, to serve

For the cooking sauce

  • 3 tbsp oyster sauce

  • 1 tbsp light soy sauce

  • 2 tsp dark soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp fish sauce

  • 2 tsp caster sugar

Method

  1. Step 1

    Trim and discard any woody parts of the watercress. Chop the remaining leaves and stems at about 4cm intervals and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Add the 2 tablespoons of rice to a dry frying pan over medium–high heat. Toast the rice, shaking the pan constantly to colour evenly, until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Tip into a mortar and grind to a rough powder. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Cut the beef into 1cm slices, then add to a large bowl with the garlic, pepper and fish sauce. Toss to combine, then set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes. If marinating for longer – and overnight is ideal – refrigerate.

  4. Step 4

    Combine the cooking sauce ingredients in a small bowl, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Meanwhile, arrange the watercress on a serving platter.

  5. Step 5

    Preheat the oil in a wok for 4 minutes over a high heat. Add the beef, spreading it out to make contact with the wok. Leave undisturbed for 2 minutes before stirring through. Add the white onion, capsicum and chilli and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the spring onion and sauce. Stir through for 1 minute, then tip onto the watercress.

  6. Step 6

    Sprinkle the rice powder over the top and squeeze over the lime. Serve with steamed rice.

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Karen MartiniKaren Martini is a Melbourne-based chef, restaurateur, author and television presenter. She has a regular column in Good Weekend.

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Original URL: https://www.theage.com.au/goodfood/recipes/karen-martinis-vietnamese-beef-stirfry-with-spring-onion-green-chilli-and-toasted-rice-20210910-h1yi7z.html