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Sliced beef marinated in fragrant lemongrass gets a quick stir-fry for this Vietnamese dish. Pair this easy lemongrass beef recipe with vermicelli noodles, herbs, and fish sauce. It’s bursting with flavors, and so easy to make for a satisfying weeknight meal.
There are so many things I love about this lemongrass beef stir-fry (aka Bò Xào Sả). The beef is sliced thin, which means it can be marinated and cooked up quickly for an easy meal. It’s also budget-friendly since you can use an inexpensive cut of steak for this dish. Something to make both your stomach and wallet happy!
I like to serve lemongrass beef with vermicelli noodles, lettuce, herbs, and a generous helping of sweet and tangy fish sauce. You could also serve this over rice or take the beef and roll them up into spring rolls. For a healthier, low-carb option, serve it over greens as a salad.
How To Make Lemongrass Beef Stir-Fry
First, you’ll slice up your choice of steak into thin slices. Marinate the beef with fish sauce and oyster sauce and add garlic and lemongrass for aromatics. Let the meat sit for a few minutes as you prepare the vermicelli noodles, lettuce and herbs, and fish dipping sauce (aka Nước Mắm Chấm).
The fish sauce is what brings this whole dish together. Just mix together water, lime, sugar, and chili garlic sauce, and stir until the sugar is dissolved. This sauce can be as spicy as you want! You can add a little (or a lot) of Thai birdseye chili for an extra kick of spice.
Main Ingredients for Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef
- Beef – I use sirloin in this recipe which was on sale at the grocery store. This is a great recipe for using an inexpensive cut of steak since it’s thinly sliced.
- Lemongrass – This is a fragrant herb that comes in stalks. If using fresh lemongrass, check out my post on how to prepare lemongrass. You can also find frozen chopped lemongrass or use lemongrass paste.
- Oyster sauce – This is my favorite brand. You can also substitute vegetarian mushroom sauce or hoisin sauce.
- Fish sauce – You’ll use this to marinate the beef and for the fish dipping sauce. This is my favorite brand.
- Vermicelli – Vermicelli is made of rice noodles and can be found at the Asian market or online.
- Lettuce and herbs – You can use any combination you like. Some options include shredded lettuce, sliced cucumbers, bean sprouts, mint, Thai basil, or cilantro.
Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Air Fryer Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken (Gà nướng sả)
- Vietnamese Crispy Noodles
- Vietnamese Steak Salad
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Stir-Fry
Equipment
Ingredients
For the lemongrass beef:
- 1 pound sirloin steak
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons minced lemongrass
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1/2 sliced onions
For the fish dipping sauce:
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce
- 1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
- 1 bird's eye Thai chili, chopped (optional)
Serve with:
- cooked vermicelli noodles
- chopped lettuce
- sliced cucumbers
- mint
- cilantro
Instructions
- Start with preparing the beef. Thinly slice the steak, about 1/8" thickness. Place the steak into a dish for marinating.
- Marinate the steak with sugar, garlic, lemongrass, fish sauce, and sesame oil. Thoroughly combine and set aside while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare the fish dipping sauce. In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients for the fish dipping sauce. Stir to combine until the sugar is dissolved.
- Time to cook the beef. Heat a wok over high heat with cooking oil. Add onions and beef.
- Stir-fry the beef for 4-7 minutes or until fully cooked with slight char.
- When beef is done, serve over vermicelli noodles and salad/herbs. Eat with fish dipping sauce and enjoy!
Notes
- Instead of vermicelli, you can serve lemongrass beef with rice, salad, or wrap it into spring rolls.
- If you don’t have a wok, you can cook this in a cast-iron skillet or nonstick pan.
- If using fresh lemongrass, check out my post on how to prepare lemongrass.
I LOVE Vietnamese food and I cannot wait to be able to go back to Vietnam. Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe and transporting me back to Vietnam. Cannot wait to prepare it as besides the lemongrass I have all the ingredients at home.
This looks delicious! I love stir fries with beef. This is going in my bookmarks!
We were actually running out of recipe ideas to try for our weekend get-together and I’m really thankful I came across this blog. Thank you for the idea! This looks so yummy!
This is so delicious. I love the spices. Thank you for sharing this.
This looks amazing! I love the tender strips of beef and flavorful sauce! Definitely going into my dinner rotation!
Yes I hope you try it!