According to the book "Fast food for Picnic Day" (Women's Publishing House), pennywort and beef salad is not only easy to prepare but also suitable for hot weather days thanks to its cool and easy-to-eat taste. To prepare this dish, housewives need to prepare 400g of pennywort, 300g of beef, 2 onions, 1 carrot, 1 shallot, 1 lemon, 2 teaspoons of minced chili, 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and familiar spices such as cooking oil, fish sauce, vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce and pepper.
First, pennywort roots and old leaves are removed, washed and then soaked in diluted salt water for about 30 minutes before draining. Onions peel, slice thinly and soak in a mixture of vinegar and sugar for about 5 minutes to reduce the pungency. Carrots peel, shred, and shallots are thinly sliced to sauté until fragrant.
After washing the beef, slice it thinly and marinate with minced garlic, oyster sauce and a little pepper for about 10 minutes to absorb the spices. When the pan is hot, add the beef and stir-fry quickly over high heat until just cooked, then turn off the heat, avoid stir-frying for too long to make the meat tough. Next, sauté the shallots and the remaining minced garlic in hot oil until golden brown to add more attractive aroma to the dish.
The salad dressing is made from fish sauce, sugar, minced chili and lemon juice. Stir well until the ingredients are combined and adjust the sour, sweet, and salty flavors to suit the family's taste.
To mix salad, put pennywort, onions and carrots in a large bowl, drizzle about two-thirds of the mixing sauce and stir well to make the vegetables absorb the flavor. Then add stir-fried beef with the remaining mixing sauce, gently mix the ingredients evenly. Finally, sprinkle fried onions and fried garlic on top to increase the aroma and attractiveness. The best pennywort and beef salad is when enjoyed immediately after about 15-20 minutes from mixing. The crispy and cool taste of pennywort, the soft sweet taste of beef and harmonious sweet and sour mixing create a light but still rich dish. This is a suitable choice for a weekend meal or appetizer in family gatherings.
