Vietnamese Special Beef served in Lime juice salad ( Bo tai chanh) is a common salad in Vietnam. It is comprised of beef marinated by lime juice. It also includes crunchy vegetables as well as refreshing herbs and peanuts that have been roasted.
Salad in Vietnamese cuisine is known as “nom” and usually includes:
- Fresh vegetables: green salad or other crunchy vegetables like onion, cucumber, kohlrabi green papaya, cabbage, and kohlrabi.
- Protein: beef, chicken pork small shrimp.
- A sweet and slightly sour Vietnamese dressing: dressing is usually made up of lime juice or vinegar and sugar, as well as fish sauce salt, and pepper. The proportion of these ingredients can differ based on one’s preferences, however, other than the fact that there is virtually no variation in the dressing salads in Vietnam. I was always amazed by the fact that different cuisines offer various types of vinaigrette dressing and dressing.
- The fresh and lively green herb: cilantro mint and basil.
- Other toppings to choose from: crunchy peanuts toasted, crispy shallots that have been fried, and toasted sesame seeds.
As you can observe, Vietnamese salads are like a concerto of colors, textures, and different flavors. They’re fun to eat, and each bite is a delight.
How to prepare Vietnamese special beef salad (Bo Tai Chanh)
The name of this salad explains the way it is made. The beef isn’t cooked over heat, rather it is cut thinly, then submerged in lime juice and chilling in the fridge. In between 30 and an hour (the duration depends on how tender you prefer the meat to be) it is “cooked” by the lime juice acid. Yes, it’s healthy to eat. I hope that you aren’t nervous due to the cooking process of this recipe.
But, I highly recommend buying your meat from a reputable source. I buy my meat from local farms and am not comfortable cooking this recipe with beef from factories. If you’re still not comfortable then you can cook the beef in a skillet after taking it out to soak with lime juice.
When making bo tai the chanh is best to choose the tiniest slices of beef and cut them finely along each grain. It is possible to leave the meat in lime juice for more than an hour , but don’t keep it there for too long as the acidity of lime juice could cause it to become to become mushy.
I enjoy making this salad during summer as it’s refreshing due to the lime juice. The aromatic herbs that add freshness. The lime juice removes all strong and strong gamy flavor in the beef. In addition it is delicious cold and is great for summer hot days.
In Vietnam it is commonplace to employ veal in the same way. The salad made with veal is known as be tai chanh (veal signifies “be” in Vietnamese). If you have good quality meat of veal in your fridge You can make this recipe. Serve the salad with lots of sesame seeds toasted instead of roasting peanuts.
Further Vietnamese salad recipes you could like:
- Vietnamese Potato Salad
- Green Mango Salad with Shrimp (Goi Xoai recipe)
- Vietnamese Beef Noodle Salad (Bun Bo Xao)
- Vietnamese Green Papaya Salad & Beef Jerky (Gỏi Đu Đủ Khô Bò Recipe)
Bò Tái Chanh – Vietnamese Rare Beef in Lime Juice Salad
Ingredients
For the beef
- 6.5 OZ beef
- 1/2 teaspoon of garlic (finely chopped)
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- pepper
For the onion
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
- 1 small onion
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
For the carrot
- 1 small carrot
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1/8 teaspoon sugar
Other ingredients
- 1/2 cup mint (roughly chopped)
- 1 cup Thai basil (roughly chopped)
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1/4 cup of cilantro (roughly chopped)
- 1/4 teaspoon sugar
- crushed and toasted peanuts
Instructions
- Cut the beef thinly, straying away from the grain. Mix it in a bowl with garlic, lime juice salt, sugar and pepper. Cover and place into the fridge.
- Cut off both the sides of an onion. Cut in half lengthwise , then cut thinly. Mix it all together with vinegar and sugar. Cover and place it in the fridge.
- Peel and cut the carrot into juliennes and mix it with vinegar and sugar. Cover and place into the fridge.
- Make sure to check the beef, and give the slices of beef a thorough stir every 15 minutes to ensure they're all "cooked" evenly by the lime juice.
- After 40 to 60 minutes (more than or less, depending on how rare you prefer your meat to be) Remove the beef, onion , and carrot from the refrigerator, then drain the leftover liquid.
- Place the onion, beef and carrots in a fresh clean bowl. Add the other spices, fish sauce and sugar into the bowl and mix thoroughly. Adjust the seasoning according to your taste.
- Transfer the dish to the serving bowl, add the toasted peanuts on top and take a bite to
