Steak & Vietnamese noodle salad

Name: Steak & Vietnamese noodle salad
Prep time: 9 min
Cook time: 17 min
Total time: 26 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 85g Brown Rice Noodle; 1 tsp Rapeseed Oil; 250g Fillet Of Steak; 2 Carrots; 1/2 Chinese Cabbage; 4 finely sliced Spring Onions; Handful Coriander; 1 sliced Red Chilli; Juice of 1 Lime; 2 tsp Brown Sugar; 1 tsp Rice Vinegar; 1 chopped Garlic Clove; 1/2 tbs Fish Sauce

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Beef recipe with Vietnamese flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 42 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 26 min total

85g Brown Rice Noodle
1 tsp Rapeseed Oil
250g Fillet Of Steak
2 Carrots
1/2 Chinese Cabbage
4 finely sliced Spring Onions
Handful Coriander
1 sliced Red Chilli
Juice of 1 Lime
2 tsp Brown Sugar
1 tsp Rice Vinegar
1 chopped Garlic Clove
1/2 tbs Fish Sauce

Step-by-step instructions

Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl with 1 tbsp water until the sugar has dissolved.
Cook the noodles following pack instructions, then plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool completely. Drain the noodles, then add the carrot, cabbage, spring onion and dressing, and toss to combine.
Heat the oil in a frying pan over a high heat. Season the steak, then cook to your liking; 2-3 mins on each side for medium rare. Leave to rest for 5 mins, then slice. Divide the salad and steak slices between bowls and scatter over some coriander to serve.

Why this works on a weeknight

Steak & Vietnamese noodle salad genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Noodle Bowls collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Steak & Vietnamese noodle salad actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍜 Noodle Bowls Beef Vietnamese ⚡ 30-Min Dinner