This Vietnamese rice noodle salad with caramelized steak is one of my favorite meals! It’s so jammed packed full of flavor that it tastes like a symphony in every single bite! It has herbs, sweet, salty, savory, a touch of sour and the perfect hit of heat! It has that flavor profile that makes Vietnamese food so delicious and loved!
It’s light and fresh but deceivingly filling. You will just keep going back for bite after bite, because each bite features a new flavor and then all the bites blend so well together. I also love the added peanuts or sunflower seeds and sesame seeds that give a great little pop of crunch with each bite, then there is the toasted sesame oil taste that runs through the whole dish. Yum!
When I was first pregnant with my first child I ate this salad for a week straight because it craved it’s freshness and tasty flavors! It’s one of those dishes that’s good enough to do that with.
What you need to make this Vietnamese rice noodle salad with caramelized steak:
Serves 2
Ingredients in the salad:
- 1/2 pound steak – any cut will do
- 1/3 pound rice noodles, (roughly 5.5 ounces) – dry pasta weight
- 2 green onions -thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper – cut into a small dice
- 4 tablespoons cilantro – roughly torn
- 2 tablespoons basil – sliced into thin strips
1 tablespoon fresh mint – sliced into thin strips - 1/2 cup cucumber – sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
- 1/2 cup carrots – , shredded or sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
1/2 jalapeno – diced (optional) - 2 tablespoons salted roasted sunflower seeds or salted toasted peanuts
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Seasoning for the steak:
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or more if you want more heat (this amount doesn’t really add any heat just flavor)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
Ingredients for the dressing:
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
Directions:
- Prepare all of your vegetables by cutting.
- Cook rice noodles according to directions, drain, rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.
- Season steak with salt and sear in a hot pan to desired cook of steak.
Let steak rest for 5 minutes, then slice up steak and set aside for a minute. Add sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger powder, soy sauce, honey, sriracha, salt and oyster sauce to the pan and bring mixture to a simmer. Add the steak pieces and saute in sauce until coated and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside. - To make the sauce, add sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, sugar, rice vinegar, sriracha and whisk together until sugar dissolves.
- To assemble: add cooled rice noodles and all of the prepared vegetables, caramelized steak, sunflower seeds or peanuts and top with dressing and sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Here are a few other recipes you may love:
- Chicken Bahn Mi RECIPE HERE
- Basil and Cilantro Chimichurri Sauce RECIPE HERE
- Steak and Meat Marinade RECIPE HERE
Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad with Caramelized Steak
All the flavors you love in Vietnamese food in a light and flavor packed rice noodle salad.
Servings: 2 people
Ingredients
- for salad:
- 1/2 pound steak – any cut will do
- 1/3 pound rice noodles (roughly 5.5 ounces) – dry pasta weight
- 2 green onions -thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper – cut into a small dice
- 4 tablespoons cilantro – roughly torn
- 2 tablespoons basil – sliced into thin strips
- 1 tablespoon fresh mint – sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cup cucumber – sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
- 1/2 cup carrots – shredded or sliced into 1 inch thin long sticks
- 1/2 jalapeno – diced optional
- 2 tablespoons salted roasted sunflower seeds or salted toasted peanuts
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- for steak:
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ginger powder
- 3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha or more if you want more heat this amount doesn’t really add any heat just flavor
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- for dressing:
- 2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon sriracha
Instructions
- Prepare all of your vegetables by cutting.
- Cook rice noodles according to directions, drain, rinse with cold water, drain and set aside.
- Season steak with salt and sear in a hot pan to desired cook of steak.
- Let steak rest for 5 minutes, then slice up steak and set aside for a minute. Add sesame oil, garlic powder, ginger powder, soy sauce, honey, sriracha, salt and oyster sauce to the pan and bring mixture to a simmer. Add the steak pieces and saute in sauce until coated and caramelized. Remove from heat and set aside.
- To make the sauce, add sesame oil, soy sauce, honey, sugar, rice vinegar, sriracha and whisk together until sugar dissolves.
- To assemble: add cooled rice noodles and all of the prepared vegetables, caramelized steak, sunflower seeds or peanuts and top with dressing. Enjoy!