The other day my mom came into the room and asked me if I knew about this dish called a Vietnamese beef and watercress salad. I said “No I don’t”. And then she said, “Well I think would be a great easy spring recipe.” And I said, “Okay sure!”. Because mom always knows best lol 🙂 And she was right. This might be the easiest and shortest recipe next to my nuoc cham recipe.
What is watercress?
I have had watercress my whole life, but I didn’t know how much of a kickass vegetable it was until I did research for this post. According to the CDC, it tops all the other vegetables in terms of nutrients with a density score if 100! That’s insane! It has the good stuff like loads of Vitamin K for bone health and is an antioxidant which helps reduce the likelihood of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
As a kid, I used to eat it a lot in soup, but apparently, the best way to eat it is in its raw form like in this beef and watercress salad. Watercress actually makes this one of the healthiest salads out there! In terms of taste, it tastes like a milder version of arugula with a slight peppery flavor.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
Beef marinade
- Ribeye steak – Use any kind of steak you can find. I like using ribeye steak because it has some fat in it which makes it juicy and flavorful.
- Pepper for seasoning
- Corn starch – Makes the beef tender and helps it brown. Substitute with tapioca starch.
- Light brown sugar – Used for brown color and adds sweetness. Substitute with granulated sugar or dark brown sugar. Dark brown sugar will make the beef more brown and make it sweeter.
- Dark soy sauce – Adds color and umami flavor. Substitute with regular soy sauce or tamari for a gluten free alternative.
- Soy sauce – Adds color and umami flavor. Substitute with tamari for a gluten free alternative.
- Vegetable oil – Helps keep the beef tender. Use any kind of neutral oil for the marinade.
Watercress salad
- Garlic – Adds more flavor to the beef.
- Watercress – Substitute watercress with arugula, kale, or spinach.
- Yellow onion – Adds a bit of sweetness to the salad. Substitute with red onion.
- Tomatoes – Use any kind of tomatoes you can find.
- Vinaigrette – Use any kind of vinaigrette you like. You can also make your own using a 1 to 4 ratio of acid to oil. For example, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1/4 cup of olive oil. I also like to add a pinch of salt, pepper, and 2 teaspoons of mustard.
Making my Vietnamese beef and watercress salad
First, marinate your beef! Combine all the ingredients for the beef marinade. Let the beef marinate for 30 minutes. For the best flavor, marinate over night. While the beef is marinating, prepare the ingredients for your salad. Mince and cut all your vegetables. Place watercress, yellow onion, and tomatoes onto a large plate or in a big bowl. Set aside.
Once done marinating, cook your beef! Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until shiny. Next, add the beef and cook until brown on both sides (3-5 minutes). Empty beef onto the vegetables you prepared. Lastly, drizzle vinaigrette onto the salad and enjoy!
Tips on how to make the perfect Vietnamese beef and watercress salad
How do you wash watercress?
Watercress has a lot of dirt on it, so I like to let it soak in water for 10 minutes before thoroughly rinsing it.
Can you eat watercress raw?
Yes you can! In fact, they are best eaten in their raw form!
Saute beef over high heat for the best results
The beef is best cooked over high heat. The high heat makes it extremely tender in the middle with a nice brown coloring on the outside.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Vietnamese Beef and Watercress Salad (Bo Xao Xa Lach Xoong)
Equipment
Ingredients
Beef Marinade
- 1 lb ribeye steak thinly sliced
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp light brown sugar
- ½ tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Salad
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 10 oz watercress cut into 1 inch long pieces
- 3 tomatoes medium sized, thinly sliced
- ½ cup vinaigrette any vinaigrette of your choosing
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the beef marinade. Let the beef marinate for 30 minutes. For the best flavor, marinate over night.
- While the beef is marinating, prepare the ingredients for your salad. Mince and cut all your vegetables. Place watercress, yellow onion, and tomatoes onto a large plate or in a big bowl. Set aside.
- Once done marinating, cook your beef! Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until shiny. Next, add the beef and cook until brown on both sides (3-5 minutes).
- Empty beef onto the vegetables you prepared in step 2.
- Drizzle vinaigrette onto the salad and enjoy!
Notes
- How do you wash watercress? – Watercress has a lot of dirt on it, so I like to let it soak in water for 10 minutes before thoroughly rinsing it.
- Can you eat watercress raw? – Yes you can! In fact, they are best eaten in their raw form!
- Saute beef over high heat for the best results – The beef is best cooked over high heat. The high heat makes it extremely tender in the middle with a nice brown coloring on the outside.
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by Becca Du