Red Lantern’s Grilled Sirloin with Chile, Garlic, and Ginger Recipe

Bo Nuong Toi Gung
Two 1/2 pound sirloin steaks
2 handfuls shredded green papaya
1 small handful mixed herbs (perilla, Vietnamese mint, and basil)
1 tablespoon fried shallots
1 tablespoon dried shrimp, soaked in hot water for 5 minutes and drained
3 tablespoons dipping fish sauce

MARINADE
2 teaspoons pickled chili
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
¾-inch piece of ginger, grated with microplane grater
2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
1 tablespoon superfine sugar
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Pinch of salt
Mix all the marinade ingredients together until the sugar dissolves. Add the steaks and marinate for 2 hours in the fridge. Grill the steaks over medium to high heat, to your preference (6 minutes for rare, 10 minutes for medium), then rest the steaks for 5 minutes. Reheat the steaks on the grill pan, then cut into thin slices.
Serve with a salad of green papaya, mixed herbs, fried shallots, and dried shrimp, dressed with dipping fish sauce.
SERVES 4

Dipping Fish Sauce

Nuoc Mam Cham

3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cloves garlic
1 bird’s-eye chili
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice

Combine the fish sauce, rice vinegar, ½ cup of water, and sugar in a saucepan and place over medium heat. Stir well and cook until just before boiling point is reached, then allow to cool. To serve, finely chop the garlic and chile and stir in the lime juice.
MAKES 1 CUP

Fried Shallots

Hanh Phi

½ pound shallots, peeled
4 cups vegetable oil

Finely slice the shallots and wash under cold water. Dry the shallots with a cloth, then set them aside on some paper towel until they are completely dry.
Put the oil in a wok and heat to 350 degrees F, or until a cube of bread dropped in the oil browns in 15 seconds. Fry the shallots in small batches until they turn golden brown, then remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel.
The fried shallots are best eaten freshly fried but will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.

—Recipe from Secrets of the Red Lantern by Pauline Nguyen