Vietnamese Sugar Cured Beef Salad

A Vietnamese family who own and run our local fish'n chip shop gave me this recipe. The beef takes up a beautiful flavour. Make sure you use fresh beef for the recipe. I prefer to use the rib eye fillet cut. It is easier for me to carve. A great summer dish for those hot, hot summer days.

• Ready In: 25 hrs 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• Vietnamese Sugar Cured Beef

• 1 (500 g)  rump steak or 1 (500 g)  rib  steak fillets
• 2  tablespoons dry sherry
• 200  g  lump sugar
• 1  tablespoon  coriander seed
• 1  tablespoon  white peppercorns
• 1  tablespoon sea salt

• Dressing

• 2  tablespoons fish sauce
• 2  tablespoons water
• 1  garlic clove, crushed
• 1  small hot chili pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 2  tablespoons lime juice
• 1  tablespoon sugar

• Salad

• 1⁄2 cup fresh coriander leaves
• 1⁄2 cup mint leaf
• 1⁄4 cup  vietnamese mint leaf (optional)
• 1  cup bean sprouts
• 1  lebanese cucumber, sliced
• 100  g  rice vermicelli, soaked in boiling water

Directions

1. Remove any visible fat from meat.
2. Marinade meat in sherry for 10 minutes.
3. Remove beef from sherry marinade.
4. Crush the sugar, coriander seeds, salt and white peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, then coat marinated beef.
5. Lay a double layer of plastic wrap out on a flat surface.
6. Wrap beef tightly in wrap with sugar and salt and refrigerate for 24 hours.
7. After 24 hours, remove the wrap and wipe off the sugar and salt with some paper towel.
8. You can rinse this off if desired under water.
9. Thinly slice beef and serve over Vietnamese salad then drizzle with dressing.
10. Dressing: Combine dressing ingredients and pour half over the cucumber, bean sprouts and herbs and toss well.
11. Serve on a bed of cooked and drained vermicelli topped with combined cucumber, sprouts and herbs, then layer with sugar-cured beef and extra dressing.