How to Make Vietnamese Rare Veal with Lime

Prepare the Veal

Veal has a characteristic strong smell, so before cooking, soak it in white wine with crushed ginger and some salt for 5-6 minutes. While soaking, rub the meat thoroughly to clean it evenly. After that, rinse with water and let it drain.

Prepare Other Ingredients

Peel off the outer layers of the lemongrass and trim the ends. Clean the outer layers and ends and use them for steaming the veal. Thinly slice the rest of the lemongrass diagonally, dividing it into two portions: one for marinating and one for mixing with the veal after steaming.

Rinse the chili peppers, thinly slice one half for mixing with the veal, and finely chop the other half for marinating.

Divide the ginger into three portions. One portion will be crushed and used for steaming. The second will be finely chopped for marinating, and the third will be sliced into strips for mixing with the veal.

Peel and clean the galangal, then divide it into three portions like the ginger.

Pick the herbs and soak them in salted water. After that, chop 2/3 of the rice paddy herb to mix with the veal, reserving the rest with the Vietnamese coriander for wrapping the veal.

Slice the starfruit and green banana into strips. To prevent browning, soak them in a bowl of water with lime juice and a bit of salt. Rinse them just before serving.

Peel and core the pineapple, then cut it into strips.

Blanch the vermicelli in boiling water and let it drain.

After preparing the side ingredients like starfruit, green banana, pineapple, herbs, and vermicelli, arrange them neatly on a plate for easy serving.

Marinate the Veal

Before steaming, marinate the veal to enhance its flavor. Marinate with:

1. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2. 1/2 tablespoon salt
3. 1/2 tablespoon seasoning powder
4. 1/2 teaspoon MSG
5. 1/2 tablespoon sugar
6. 1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
7. Chopped lemongrass, ginger, galangal, and chili

If the veal is in large pieces, cut it into 2-3 smaller sections to help the seasoning penetrate better and shorten the steaming time.

Steam the Veal

Place the lemongrass, ginger, and galangal into a pot with enough water to just cover them, and bring it to a boil.

Once boiling, place the steamer insert in the pot and add the veal along with the marinade ingredients. Cover the pot and lower the heat to a gentle simmer.

Steam the veal for 17-18 minutes, depending on the size of the veal pieces. You can check if it's done by piercing the veal with a chopstick. If bright red juice flows out, steam it a little longer. If the juice is light pink, the veal is ready.

Since this is a rare veal dish, avoid overcooking the meat, or it will become dry and lose its sweetness.

Once the veal is steamed, remove it from the pot and let it cool before slicing it thin. Slicing the veal while hot will cause the meat to crumble and make it difficult to get uniform, thin slices.

Make the Rare Veal with Lime

Place the thinly sliced veal in a large bowl and add chopped lemongrass, julienned ginger, chopped rice paddy herb, and diagonally sliced chili. Mix gently.

Squeeze the juice of one lime (about 3 tablespoons) over the veal, add 1 tablespoon sugar, a pinch of ground pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the veal steaming liquid. The steaming liquid helps keep the dish moist and flavorful. Toss gently and let the veal absorb the flavors for about 5 minutes. Then, sprinkle with roasted sesame seeds and plate.

For the best flavor, the veal should have a prominent tanginess from the lime. You can adjust the amount of lime juice to suit your taste.

Make the Dipping Sauce for Rare Veal

Rare veal is traditionally dipped in fermented soy sauce, as the dish itself has a mild sweet and sour flavor but lacks saltiness.

Fermented soy sauce has a strong, pungent taste, so add sugar and MSG to balance it, and mix in ginger and chili for extra warmth and fragrance. If you can't find fermented soy sauce, you can substitute with fish sauce.

For the dipping sauce, use the following ratio:

• 2 tablespoons fermented soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon MSG

Mix well, then add 1 teaspoon chopped ginger, 1 teaspoon chopped chili, and 1 tablespoon crushed roasted peanuts.