Pan Asian: Sesame Beef with Bamboo Shoots (Vietnam)

Happy Holidays to all of my subscribers, of whatever faith, in whatever country! The true sentiment of this time, I believe, is to be thankful for all that we have, and to be helpful to others in whichever way we can. In these trying times, we all need to think about how much we all have in common, and remember that we are all in this together.

That said, we all need to eat, so I’m closing out this season of Pan Asian with another quick and easy one. And did I mention it was delicious, too? This is comfort food, fast food, and food that you can make in your very own kitchen with very few ingredients.

The Recipe

3 tablespoons oil

12 oz. (350 g) beef sirloin, thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 spring onions, cut into 1-inch lengths

8 oz. (250 g) canned or pre-packed frozen bamboo shoots, drained & thinly sliced

1 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 tablespoons sesame seeds, dry-roasted in a skillet until browned

2-3 finger length red chilies, sliced (optional)

• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the beef for 1 minute until it browns. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Heat the remaining oil in the wok and stir-fry the garlic, spring onion, and bamboo shoots for 2-3 minutes. Add fish sauce, oyster sauce, salt and pepper.
• Return beef to pan, add sesame seeds, and stir-fry 3 more minutes until the beef is tender and done.
• Remove from heat, transfer to serving platter, and serve hot with steamed rice.

Serves 4