Recipe

A A A

• 6 -8 oz beef or 6 -8 oz buffalo rump roast
• 1 1/2 cups chopped sweet yellow onions
• 1 tsp black pepper, divided
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, divided ( nuoc mam or nam pla)
• 1 tsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz fresh baby spinach leaves, cleaned and dried (about 4 cups worth; or rau muong instead of spinach)
• 3 ripe roma tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges
• hot cooked jasmine rice , for serving

• 1 Trim excess fat from meat and slice thinly (which is easier when meat is slightly frozen) against the grain.
• 2 In a large bowl, combine the chopped onion, sliced meat, 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper, 2 teaspoons of the fish sauce, and the cornstarch; stir well to coat and set aside to marinate (the cornstarch tenderizes and makes the meat velvety ).
• 3 Over high temperature, heat a large skillet or wok and - when the skillet is very hot - add the oil ( hot wok, cold oil, food won't stick ); add the marinated meat mixture and sauté until the meat is cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes.
• 4 Remove cooked mixture from skillet and set aside.
• 5 Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and stir fry the minced garlic for 1 minute.
• 6 Add spinach leaves and stir fry for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• 7 Add remaining 4 teaspoons fish sauce and tomato, and stir fry 2 minutes.
• 8 Add the cooked meat mixture and remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the skillet, combine well, and cook until heated through and sauce comes to desired consistency (the cornstarch will effect the consistency - you can add a bit of water, broth, or sherry if it becomes thicker than you'd like).
• 9 Serve immediately with hot cooked jasmine rice.
• 10 Note: I've been told that the recipe is not exactly Vietnamese, since we actually use minced pork to stir fry water spinach; beef is always more expensive than pork at home - the good cuts are often on their own, or cooked with minimal side ingredients; other cuts go into stews and soups so feel free to try this with pork, too!
• 11 Also, when I first made this recipe I really wasn't expecting too much from it - it came out much tastier than I expected, an absolute keeper (especially according to my husband)!