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5.0 from 78 votes

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef

Recipe video above. A very quick, very tasty way to use up leftover cooked beef used in things like broth (see notes to start from raw). Created to use up leftover brisket from making Vietnamese Pho. Cooked is tossed in a Vietnamese lemongrass marinade then pan fried until golden. It's INSANELY delicious! 

Prep Time
14 mins
Cook Time
14 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Servings: 3 - 4 people
Course: Main Course

Ingredients

  • 500g / 1lb (3 cups) leftover cooked brisket or other beef , shredded or chopped (Note 1)
  • 1 - 2 tbsp oil , for cooking
Marinade:
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose
  • 2.5 tbsp (packed) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp lemongrass paste (Note 2)
Serving:
  • Rice or noodles
  • Lime wedges OR Nuoc Cham (Note 3)
  • Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and/or finely sliced green onions
  • Finely sliced red chilli, sliced cucumber, crushed peanuts*

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Mix Marinade in a bowl.
  2. Add shredded beef and mix. Set aside 5 minutes.
  3. Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add about half the beef and spread out in single layer.
  4. Leave undisturbed until golden (about 1 minute). Flip then cook the other side just briefly (about 30 seconds) just to heat and get a touch of golden, then remove.
  5. Repeat with remaining beef.
  6. Serve over rice, using either limes or Nuoc Cham as the sauce, and garnishes of choice (I used them all in the photos!)

Notes

  • * Optional
  • Leftover cooked beef - Use any leftover cooked beef where the beef isn't too heavily flavoured with non Asian flavours, I used brisket from Pho. If the leftover meat is cold, reheat it using your chosen method (I microwave) then shred, or chop. To make from scratch, use this recipe:
  • EASY SHREDDED BRISKET
  • Place 800g/1.6lb brisket in pot with 2 smashed garlic cloves, 3 slices ginger, 1 onion cut into quarters. Just cover with water. Cover then simmer for 3 hours (or slow cooker 10 hours low, pressure cooked 1 hr 20 min high) or until brisket is easily shreddable, then use per this recipe (will shrink down to about 500g/1lb).
  • Reserve braising liquid for use as broth for Asiany recipes, reduce down as needed to get sufficient strength (I'd expect to get 2 - 3 cups out of that much brisket). Try this Chinese Noodle Soup, Wonton Soup, Hot and Sour Soup or add in some of the spices from the Pho recipe and make a simple Pho! Or use in place of water in any Stir Fry or Stir Fried Noodles recipe for extra amazingness.
  • Lemongrass paste - I use this for convenience, could also use 1 thick lemongrass stalk, very finely minced.
  • Sauce - Sizzling straight off the pan, it's so juicy that you won't need a sauce other than a squeeze of lemon juice. But if you want to douse everything in your bowl with a sauce, use Nuoc Cham, the garlic/chilli/lime/fish sauce sauce that is served with everything in Vietnamese cuisine! Use the Nuoc Cham sauce in this Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl recipe.
  • Serves 3 to 4 as a meal with rice and sides as shown. Scale down recipe to however much beef you have (click/hover on Servings and slide)