Beef Stir fry with Bamboo Shoots (Bo Xao Mang Recipe)

I bought three large bags of fresh bamboo shoots this weekend, which I used to prepare an enormous pot of bún măng gà (bamboo chicken noodle soup).

Today I took the leftover bamboo we hadn't cooked, but instead of chicken, I paired the bamboo shoots with tender beef steak (bò xào măng). I stir-fried the two with oyster sauce and fresh ginger. To add a little color to the dark dish, I mixed in a few vegetables such as asparagus spears, carrots and Portobello mushrooms. You could make the exact same dish with tofu and vegetarian stir fry sauce if you need to feed a vegetarian crowd, (which is always my case!).

Bo Xao Xa Ot Recipe (Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef)

Bún thịt bò xào xả ớt (chile lemongrass beef noodles) is one of my favorite Vietnamese "casual" everyday meals. I like the way lemongrass is used to spice things up in this Vietnamese classic. Tender, boneless stir-fried beef is cooked with fresh lemongrass, freshly chopped chile peppers and onions. The meat is served in a bowl filled with cold vermicelli rice noodles, roasted peanuts, fresh vegetables (usually cucumber and pickled carrots), fresh Vietnamese herbs and soy bean sprouts. The entire dish is drizzled with mixed herbed fish sauce as seasoning.

The cooking time is very fast, and call me crazy but I love the sound of the sizzling pan. I stir-fried the beef, but on hotter days, you could also thread the meat into skewers and grill them.

Note: Glossary of relevant Vietnamese cooking terms.

Bún = noodles

Thịt bò = beef

Thịt = meat

Xào = stir fry

Xả = lemongrass

Ớt = chile