This Vietnamese beef vermicelli dish is savory, and full of freshness, flavor, and texture. It's a dish that you're sure to fall in love with! It takes a bit of planning and preparation, but it will be worth it once you taste the final result! It's a favorite in our house and is sure to be one in yours, too!
Combine all sauce ingredients in a bowl or measuring cup and mix well. Set aside.
Arrange chopped lettuce, carrot ribbons, and finely sliced cucumber in your each serving dishes; set aside.
Cook vermicelli noodles according to package directions. Rinse under cool water to stop the cooking process and drain well.
Divide noodles evenly among dishes with the vegetables. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
Add the thinly sliced beef to the hot skillet and brown.
Divide cooked beef to each dish with the noodles and vegetables.
Using the same skillet you cooked the beef, reduce the heat to medium. Stir the sauce ingredients and pour into the skillet, scraping any browned beef bits from the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once sauce bubbles.
Spoon the sauce over the beef and vermicelli noodles.
Top with fried garlic and shallots, chopped peanuts, and green onions, if desired.
Serve immediately.
Notes
The rice vermicelli noodles I use are about the diameter of a spaghetti noodle. They are not the angel hair ones as I find the slightly thicker noodles give a better chew and substance to the dish. That being said, the thinner rice vermicelli noodles work just as well.
Prepping all the fresh ingredients ahead of time will help tremendously in putting this dish together. Do all your fresh vegetable washing and cutting and plate them first so they are ready for the noodles and then the beef.