Directions

Lemongrass Beef

1. In a bowl, combine garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, green chilli, lemongrass, lime juice and zest to make a marinade. Mix until sugar is dissolved.
2. Put the steaks into a glass bowl and coat evenly with the marinade, cover and put in the fridge to marinate for at least 30 mins (24 hrs is ideal).
3. Remove the steaks from the fridge and allow them to warm to room temperature.
4. Heat the grill to medium-high, remove the lemongrass chunks from the meat to prevent burning. Place steaks on the BBQ grill, cooking for approximately 4 minutes each side.
5. Once cooked, set the steaks aside for 5 mins to rest, then slice to 0.7cm thick and serve with the betel leaf rolls, vermicelli salad and accompanying sauces.

For the Betel Leaf rolls

1. In a large bowl, mix together: beef mince, lemongrass, spring onion, coriander roots, garlic, salt, five spice, white pepper and fish sauce. Mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly combined. Set aside for the flavours to infuse.
2. Make the Betel Leaf Roll Dipping Sauce in a small bowl by combining fish sauce, lime juice, orange juice, sugar, garlic, chilli. Mix until sugar has dissolved and set aside.
3. To construct the betel leaves, place a leaf in your hand, shiny side facing your palm. Place 1 tbsp of the mince mixture towards the stem of the leaf, in a sausage shape. Roll the leaf from the stem to the tip, ensuring that it is a cylindrical shape. Repeat until all mince mixture and betel leaves are used.
4. Once all of the betel leaf rolls are constructed, thread 3 rolls onto 2 skewers to hold them tight, continuing until all rolls are skewered.
5. Heat BBQ grill to medium heat and cook the betel leaves for approximately 3 minutes each side and remove from heat.
6. Serve with finely chopped chilli, crushed peanuts and dipping sauce.

For the Vermicelli Salad

1. Soak vermicelli in a bowl with boiling water until soft (about 5 mins). Drain and rinse in cold water to cool the noodles. Once cool, leave in colander to drain thoroughly.
2. To make the sauce, in a small bowl combine: water, fish sauce, lime juice, vinegar, sugar and garlic. Mix well until the sugar has dissolved. Add in the chilli and stir, set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix together the vermicelli, cucumber, carrot, bean shoots, Vietnamese mint, mint, coriander and spring onion.
4. Place the vermicelli into a serving bowl, top with fried shallots, crushed peanuts, chilli and half of the sauce. Pour the remaining sauce into a bowl to serve with the salad.