Until the French colonized
Vietnam in the late 1800s, the Vietnamese
considered the cow a beast of burden.
But under French influence, the Vietnamese
began to cook with beef and develop a
repertoire of red-meat dishes. Vietnamese
beef stew may resemble boeuf bourguignon
at a glance, but not after you smell and
taste it. Seasoned with fish sauce, star
anise and Asian basil, it has its own
flavor profile and personality. A small
portion served with a chunk of baguette
(a common accompaniment in Vietnam) would
make an enticing addition to a small-plate
selection.
Another ultra-Vietnamese and un-French
approach to beef is to pair it with a
cool, crisp salad. In the Vietnamese
kitchen,
salad doesn’t always mean leafy
greens. Some salads are made with pickled
carrots, daikon or bean sprouts or with
green (unripe) mango or papaya.
One delicious idea from Saigon,
described in Pleasures of the Vietnamese
Table by Mai Pham (HarperCollins 2001),
is a green mango salad with grilled beef.
The beef marinade includes lemongrass, fish
sauce and soy sauce. The salad incorporates
chiles, lime, Asian basil, fried shallots
and roasted peanuts. The finished dish delights
everyone with its contrasting flavors, textures
and temperatures.
More common is the colorful,
crunchy salad that appears on the Vietnamese
table at almost every meal: leafy lettuce,
sliced fresh chiles, lime wedges, sliced
cucumbers, bean sprouts, and fresh herbs,
such as Asian basil, rau ram (Vietnamese
coriander) and mint. With these ingredients,
diners make an “Asian taco,”
wrapping hot grilled beef in the cool
lettuce and adding the other condiments
as desired. For American diners, who love
wraps and love to customize their meals,
it’s the perfect appetizer.
