Bò Nhúng Giấm ( Poached Beef Rice Paper Rolls)
I’m sharing a lesser known traditional Vietnamese recipe where beef and onions are thinly sliced and poached in a simple slightly sweet and sour broth of coconut juice and vinegar before being rolled into rice paper rolls. You’d generally eat this ‘hotpot’ style poaching the beef and onions at the table and then rolling and eating the rice paper rolls as you go.
Because it’s a simple recipe with few ingredients, you don’t have anywhere to hide, so you need to make sure you’re using the freshest and best quality ingredients.
The beef is most important and I’ve chosen eye fillet Cape Grim beef from Tasmania, arguably the best beef in Australia, which needs to be thinly sliced. Biggest tip to thinly slice meat is to place it in the freezer for 45 mins so that it firms up, making it a lot easier to slice. Also it goes without saying to make sure you’re using a sharp knife.
For the broth, traditionally fresh coconut juice is used with a dash of white vinegar, however I’ve used coconut water readily available from the supermarket which works perfectly.
Serves- 4
Ingredients- 11
Cooking Time- 30 minutes
Skill Level- Easy
Ingredients
- 250g of Cape Grim Beef Eye Fillet Steaks
- 1 litre of coconut juice or coconut water
- 2 tablespoons of white vinegar
- 1 Spanish/red onion, finely sliced
- 1 packet (375g) of rice paper
- 3 sticks (300g) of Vermicelli noodles (400g)
- 2 cucumbers, preferably Lebanese, sliced into batons
- 2 heads of cos lettuce, washed and leaves separated
- 3 small bunches of your choice of herbs, picked and washed. I like to use a mixture of mint, Vietnamese mint, coriander and shiso leaves.
- 1 green Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely sliced
- 1 cup of Nuoc Cham Vietnamese Dipping Sauce,
Method
- For the beef, it needs to be thinly sliced and the best way to do this is: 1. Make sure you have a sharp knife, sharpen if needed and 2. Place your beef on a tray into the freezer for about 45 minutes until it firms up but not fully frozen. When the half frozen/firm, you’ll be able to slice it super fine versus when it’s at room temperature.
- Once the beef has firmed up in the freezer, thinly slice and place into a large platter in one layer.
- Next, peel and thinly slice your onion. Then arrange the onion on top of your beef.
- Cook your vermicelli in a pot of boiling water for about 3 minutes or until they have separated and softened. Drain immediately with warm water to remove any excess starch and set aside.
- Next, grab the pot that you plan to poach your beef and onion in and pour in either 1 litre of coconut juice or coconut water. I used a combination but either works.
- Then prepare the following for your table: Place your vermicelli into a bowl, Cut up your cucumber into batons and green apple into slices. Wash and separate the leaves of your lettuce and wash your herbs and place into a bowl.
- Grab a portable hot plate and add in your vinegar and heat to a boil. Whilst waiting grab your platter of beef and onion, ready to poach. Grab a plate, tongs and slotted spoon. Also divide the Vietnamese Dipping Sauce into bowls. You’ll be dipping the rice paper rolls into this.
- Grab your friends and fam and cook the beef as you roll and eat. Simply place the onions first as they take a few minutes to cook and then in the last minute add in your beef. Once cooked through, remove all with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate ready to add into your rice paper rolls.
How to assemble rice paper rolls
- To roll rice paper rolls, simply dip the rice paper into a bowl of warm to hot water and then place onto your plate to soften for 30 seconds. Once the rice paper has softened, place down a lettuce cup, a handful of vermicelli, 1 piece of cucumber and apple baton and a handful of herbs. Add your beef and onions.
- Then roll the rice paper away from you, tucking both ends in and continuing to roll it into a rice paper roll ‘burrito’ style.
- Roll and eat as you go. Enjoy!
Watch the process