Vietnamese Beef Carpaccio Recipe (Bo Tai Chanh)

Bo tai chanh is Vietnamese style of carpaccio. There are some variants on how to prepare this appetizer. Some people use lime juice or lemon juice, pineapple juice and cook the beef lightly in pineapple juice. Others, sear the beef before curing it with lime juice.

If you like beef carpaccio then you will like bo tai chanh. This dish is very easy to make, flavorful and elegant. Besides this dish extremely well presented on the dish platter and very appealing. If you like to try something new, then this dish is for you. Some exotic ingredients such as fish sauce will give different tones on your carpaccio. What you need to fix this delightful dish is just good beef cut, lime juice and some herbs. Give it a try to enjoy it with some beers and snacks. Here is favorite Vietnamese beef carpaccio recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs beef loin, grilled it rare or you can seared it on the grill

1 onion, thinly sliced

1 tsp salt

1/3 tsp ground black pepper

3 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp sugar

6 tbsp lime juice

4 tbsp pineapple juice

1 tsp chili paste

sweet and sour fish sauce (see recipe bellow)

Garnishes:

crushed roasted peanuts or cashews

fresh cilantro, chopped

fresh mint, shredded

Thai basil, shredded

scallions, chopped

fried shallot

lime wedges

1. In a small bowl, mix sugar, lime juice, salt, pineapple juice, chili paste, dish sauce and black pepper. Make sure all of the ingredients dissolve properly. Set aside. If you do not stand heat, omit the chili paste. Substitute it with milder pepper such as jalapeno or sweet pepper. I like mine hot spicy.
2. After searing the beef. Rest it for about 15 minutes. Then, slice thinly again the grain.
3. If you like, you can use rare beef instead of seared beef. Wrap the beef and put it in the freezer for about 30 minutes. When the beef is firm up, you can slice it easier. Slice it into very thin strip as possible and across the grain.
4. In a mixing bowl, toss beef and 3/4 of dressing mix. Make sure all beef slices are coated with the dressing. Let stand for about 30 minutes. Reserve remaining dressing for garnishing.
5. Drain your beef and arrange it on a platter. Preferable is chilled one. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and add fresh mint, basil, cilantro, slice onion or your favorite herbs for garnishing. Sprinkle it with crushed roasted peanut and fried shallot.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp sugar

3 tbsp lime juice

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp chili paste

8 tbsp fish sauce

1/2 cup warm water

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients. Make sure that sugar is completely dissolve. Omit chili paste if you do not like it or add more your favorite chili if it is not hot enough.