Ingredients

Scale

Beef:

4 cups (1 L) beef stock
1 medium onion, diced
1-inch (2.5 cm) fresh ginger, peeled & sliced
3 whole star anise
4 whole cloves
4 whole black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
2 lb (800-900 g) Canadian chuck eye roll (boneless blade), tied or Inside Round
Dressing:
2 Tbsp (30 mL) peanut butter
1 Tbsp (15 mL) finely grated fresh ginger
6 Tbsp (90 mL) rice vinegar
2 Tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
4 tsp (16 g) granulated sugar
dash fish sauce
hot sauce, such as Sriracha
salt & pepper

Salad:

130 g (about 1/3 package) flat rice noodles
3 green onions, sliced
1 red bell pepper, cut into julienne strips
½ English cucumber, sliced
1 medium carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
12 basil leaves
8 mint leaves
8 leaf lettuce leaves, shredded
½ cup salted peanuts
1 Tbsp sesame seeds. lightly toasted

Instructions

For the beef, bring the beef stock, onion, ginger and spices up to a simmer in a medium stockpot. Add the beef, and top up with water so that the beef is fully submerged. Gently simmer the beef, uncovered, until it pierces easily with a fork, about 3 hours. Remove the beef to cool and then chill overnight. The fragrant broth can be used to make pho!
For the dressing, whisk the peanut butter and grated ginger and whisk in the rice vinegar. Drizzle in the oil while whisking, and add the sugar, fish sauce and hot sauce, then season to taste. Set aside.
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil and add the rice stick
noodles, boiling on medium-high for about 6 minutes, or until tender. Drain and rinse to cool a little, and then place the noodles in a large bowl and toss with half of the dressing. Add the green onion, pepper, cucumber, carrot, bail, and mint and toss again.
Arrange the shredded lettuce on a large platter (or 4 individual plates) and spoon the salad overtop. Break down the cooked beef into sections and then cut into thin slices across the grain, trimming away any excess fat. These slices can then be julienned and arranged on top of the salad. Spoon the remaining dressing overtop and sprinkle with the peanuts and sesame seeds and serve.

Notes

* You truly do get two meals out of this one recipe. While the salad is the final dish, the fragrantly spiced beef broth is perfect for a bowl of pho. Simply serve this with cooked rice vermicelli and top with bean sprouts, basil, coriander, lime and hoisin & sriracha to taste (and maybe sneak in a slice or two of the cooked beef).

* In Canada, this cut is popular cooked as a pot roast, ideal for a cold, wintry day. The versatility of this flavourful cut is that it can also suit a hot, humid day, served as part of this cooling salad.

* It’s best to tie the roast (or purchase it tied) for poaching, so that it doesn’t fall apart, making it difficult to slice later.

* Another option is to shred the beef while it is still hot, and then toss it in a little of the dressing before chilling to serve with the salad later.

* It truly does take 3 hours for this cut to cook, so don’t shortchange on the timing. The first 2 ½ hours the beef is letting out liquid into the broth, but that last half an hour, the beef re-absorbs the liquid, plus the flavour of the spices that cooked into the broth.