Lemongrass beef stir-fry (Bo Xao Sa Ot) is a delicious and easy Vietnamese dish that combines tender beef with the refreshing flavors of lemongrass and the heat of red chilies. It is an excellent choice for a quick and satisfying weeknight dinner.
The dish is quite common in the North of Vietnam, and can be found in both home cooked meals and restaurant offerings. We call it “bò xào sả ớt” in Vietnamese. We grew up eating it as well as a version made with veal, called “bê xào sả ớt“.
Lemongrass has a refreshing and citrusy aroma that pairs perfectly with spicy red chilies. You may have seen this Vietnamese combination in my lemongrass chili tofu recipe. The combination of these two key ingredients and a savory sauce makes this lemongrass beef stir-fry very flavorful.
Ingredients
Here are the key ingredients of this Vietnamese beef stir-fry recipe:
- Beef: choose a tender cut for stir-fry, such as flank steak or sirloin. Make sure you slice the beef thinly against the grain.
- Lemongrass: it’s best to use just the tender white part of fresh lemongrass, then slice thinly.
- Chili peppers: I recommend using two types of chilies. One is spicy bird’s-eye chili and another one is non-spicy or very mild red chili pepper. Here I use red banana peppers (ớt sừng), but I think you can use other chili varieties as long as they are red and not spicy, or just mildly spicy.
You will also need other ingredients for this dish:
- Other aromatics: garlic and ginger, which add more depth and complement other ingredients.
- Spice: adding just a bit of five-spice powder will surprisingly enhance the aroma and taste.
- Seasonings: we’ll use oyster sauce and fish sauce which are typical seasonings in Vietnamese beef stir-fries.
How to Make Lemongrass Beef Stir-fry
The easy and quick preparation of this stir-fried beef with lemongrass makes it perfect for busy weeknights. The detailed instructions are in the recipe card, and I will just outline key cooking steps and tips here.
1️⃣ Marinate the beef
2️⃣ Sauté the lemongrass
3️⃣ Sear the beef
4️⃣ Put everything together
How to Serve
I highly recommend sprinkling a generous amount of toasted sesame seeds over the dish when you serve it. It is optional, but it is a must in our family :).
The most traditional way to serve bo xao sa ot is with steamed rice.
Substitutions and Customizations
- As mentioned above, people also make this dish with veal instead of beef in Vietnam. It will also turn out great with chicken. Check out my lemongrass chicken stir-fry recipe here.
- You can add some julienned red bell pepper and onion if desired. If so, sauté them separately and set them aside before cooking the beef, and then combine everything in the last step.
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