The next day... By Varee Dawson Owner, Bangkok Asian Market. Bún Bò Saigon (Vietnamese Noodles with Grilled Beef) Bún Bò Saigon (literally beef noodles Saigon style) is essentially a salad of rice noodles and grilled beef, with lots of herbs and a dripping sauce. The "Saigon" version of Bun Bo is dry; Bun Bo Hue is similar but is a soup. Both versions are popular all over Vietnam, and in Vietnamese restaurants across the U.S., as a light lunch or even a coffee-break snack.. For the salad: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • 2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded 2 cups bean sprouts 1 cup cucumbers, cut into strips (julienne) 1/3 cup fresh mint, chopped 1/3 cup basil, chopped 1 pound rice vermicelli, cooked 1 pound beef (top sirloin is good) 2 tbsp fresh lemon grass 1 tsp fish sauce 1 tsp soy sauce 2 tbsp oyster sauce ½ tsp honey 2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying 3 sliced garlic cloves ½ cup fried shallots 10 sprigs cilantro Slice the raw beef thinly (about ¼ inch thick and 2 inches long), cutting across the grain. In a mixing bowl, combine beef with lemon grass, fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, honey, garlic, oil and shallots. Marinade overnight. Combine the lettuce, sprouts, cucumbers, mint and basil. Toss and divide into four bowls. Divide and add the noodles, maybe one cup per bowl. Heat a wok or non-stick pan to high temperature. When hot, take the beef pieces from the marinade one by one to add to the pan. Cook for about two minutes, until done. Divide the beef among the four bowls. Garnish with peanuts and cilantro. Drizzle the Nuoc Cham onto the top, or allow the guests to spoon onto the bowl of noodles themselves. For the dipping sauce (Nuoc Cham): • 1 tsp chili garlic sauce • 1/4 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam) • 2/3 cup hot water • 2 tbsp juice of fresh lime with pulp • 1/4 cup sugar • 2 tbsp shredded carrots Put the chili garlic in a mixing bowl. Add fish sauce, lime juice and sugar, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Put the carrots on top. BAM owner Varee Dawson is a trained chef with degrees from top cooking schools in Bangkok Free Cooking Lesson every Saturday 1119 Drake Road at Shields 970-797-2896 All recipes on the web: www.bamfc.com