An Giang Province boasts the renowned palmyra palm, a versatile resource used to craft a variety of delectable dishes, including the tantalizing palmyra palm salad with beef. This dish combines both creative and familiar ingredients to enchant diners from the very first bite.
In the world of palmyra palms, every part serves a unique purpose: the leaves find utility in roofing, the sturdy trunks contribute to construction, and the milky white meat and refreshing juice of the palm become the foundation for dishes with a delightfully fresh flavor. To fashion the palmyra palm salad with beef, the skilled cook carefully extracts the succulent palm meat from its shell and rinses it thoroughly with water, subsequently slicing it into one- to two-centimeter pieces.
The star of the show, a whole beef fillet, undergoes a brief marination in a mixture of minced salt and pepper for 15 minutes before being sautéed until both sides attain a perfect doneness. It is then diced into bite-sized pieces.
For the salad dressing, the culinary artist crafts a harmonious blend by combining one tablespoon of fish sauce with an equal amount of cooled boiled water, one tablespoon of sugar, one tablespoon of chili sauce, the juice from half a lemon, and generous portions of minced garlic and chili. These components are put into a bowl and stirred well.
Freshly chopped vegetables, pickled small leeks, tangy pickled eggplants, and crisp pickled lotus root, complemented by thinly sliced onions, join forces and are enveloped in the luscious salad dressing. This vibrant medley is then artfully arranged on a plate, layered with slices of succulent beef.
To crown this culinary masterpiece, fragrant herbs and a generous sprinkle of crushed roasted peanuts grace the dish. Palmyra palm salad with beef is traditionally served alongside a small bowl of chili fish sauce and accompanied by prawn crackers.
