Lime-Cured Rare Beef Salad (Bo Tai Chanh)
Paper-thin slices of premium beef gently "cooked" in a vibrant lime and lemongrass dressing, turning blush-pink and silky while soaking up electrifying Southeast Asian flavors. This Vietnamese take on ceviche-style beef is refreshing, elegant, and utterly addictive — a show-stopping starter that doubles as a light yet satisfying dinner on warm evenings.
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef eye of round or sirloin, sushi-grade quality
- 6 limes, juiced (about 1/2 cup fresh lime juice)
- 2 stalks lemongrass, tender inner part only, very thinly sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons
+ 10 more ingredients
Instructions
Wrap the beef tightly in plastic wrap and freeze for 30-45 minutes until very firm but not solid. This makes it much easier to slice paper-thin.
Using your sharpest knife, slice the beef against the grain as thinly as humanly possible — almost translucent is the goal. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a large serving platter.
Soak the sliced red onion in ice water for 10 minutes to mellow its sharpness, then drain well.
Make the dressing: Whisk together lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, minced garlic, and sliced Thai chilies until the sugar dissolves.
When ready to serve (not before), pour the lime dressing evenly over the beef slices. The acid will immediately begin to "cook" the surface of the meat, turning it from red to a pale pink.
Let the beef sit in the dressing for exactly 2-3 minutes — no longer, or the texture becomes tough and chalky.
Scatter the sliced lemongrass, drained red onion, fresh herbs, crushed peanuts, and fried shallots over the top.
Serve immediately with butter lettuce cups for wrapping and rice crackers or shrimp chips for scooping.
Nutrition Estimate
Per serving • Estimated by Blinner AI