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Vietnamese Spicy Beef with Noodle - Mi Bo Sate
Ginger and Scotch

Vietnamese Beef Sate with Egg Noodles (Mì Bò Sa Tế)

5 from 1 vote
Vietnamese beef sate noodles is a spicy and wonderfully fragrant dish bursting with aromatics like lemongrass, garlic and shallots all simmered in a beef broth and served over egg or rice noodles. You can find it at many Vietnamese restaurants but it's also fast and easy to make at home. 
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Inactive Time 15 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Calories: 466
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 shallots diced (or 1/2 red onion)
  • 2 oz lemongrass minced (about 4-5 stalks)
  • 2 tablespoons dried shrimp (about 12 g)
  • 4 oz ground beef (113 g)
  • 1 tablespoon sate sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Bo Kho spice powder (or 1 teaspoon 5-spice powder)
  • 1 quart beef broth (or water if in a pinch)
  • 2-3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
  • 1 tablespoon Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce
  • 1-2 teaspoons sugar
  • 8 oz beef thinly sliced (use tenderloin, ribeye, top round)
  • 4 oz egg noodles
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt divided
GARNISH
  • roasted peanuts roughly chopped
  • fried shallots
  • tomato slices thinly sliced
  • cucumber slices thinly sliced
  • mint
  • thai basil
  • scallions chopped
  • bean sprouts
  • lime wedges

Method
 

  1. Soak dried shrimp in warm water for 15 min. Then drain and grind finely in mini chopper or food processor.
  2. Heat oil in a pot over medium heat.
  3. When the oil is hot, add the garlic, shallots, lemongrass, dried shrimp and 1/4 teaspoon of salt and saute for 1-2  minutes. Keep stirring the ingredients so they don't burn.
  4. Add the ground beef and sprinkle another 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Break up the beef and cook until browned.
  5. Add the sate sauce and the Bo Kho or five spice powder and mix well. 
  6. Add the beef stock (you can use water but of course beef stock is more flavorful), peanut butter, fish sauce and sugar. Mix well and simmer 15 minutes, covered.
  7. Meanwhile, prepare your egg noodles in bowls and place the thinly sliced beef on top of the noodles in each bowl. Pour the boiling soup over the beef so that the hot liquid cooks the meat. 
    Alternatively, you can cook the raw sliced beef by quickly dipping it in the boiling stock and then placing them in the bowls.
  8. Serve hot and garnish as desired.

Notes

  • Homemade Egg Noodles - Click here for my recipe on how to make your own egg noodles from scratch and if you have kids, put them in charge of this task.
  • Sate Sauce - If you cannot find Vietnamese or TeoChew sate sauce, then substitute with anything spicy (like Sriracha, red chili flakes, chili garlic sauce) to your desired spice level and also add 3 extra cloves of garlic and one extra stalk of lemongrass to the saute step.
  • Dried Shrimp - If you don’t have dried shrimp, you can either leave it out or add 1 teaspoon shrimp paste or toss in a few anchovy fillets when you sauté the garlic and shallots.
  • Thinly Sliced Beef - You can buy pre-sliced beef from the butchers. If you slice it yourself, freeze the beef for 30-50 minutes to make it more solid and easier to slice.