• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Christmas ⭐️
      • Starters
      • Mains
      • Sides: Warm & Hearty
      • Sides: Light & Fresh
      • Desserts
      • Breads
      • Christmas Leftovers
    • Iconic + cult classics
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish recipes
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Salads & veg
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
    • Cookbook recipes
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Vietnamese

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef

By:Nagi
Published:5 Apr '19Updated:30 Nov '20
77 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef encompasses all that we love about Vietnamese food! Shredded beef tossed in a lemongrass sauce then pan fried until golden, it’s savoury, sweet and garlicky. But let’s be honest. It’s those crispy golden bits that we go bonkers over!

This is a quick recipe that evolved to use up leftover cooked beef, such as after making stock. So I’ve used repurposed beef here but don’t worry, it can be made from scratch too!

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef served over rice with lime wedges, cucumber, chilli and peanuts with Nuoc Cham sauce

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef is a recipe that was born as a way to use up leftover cooked brisket used to make the broth for Pho soup. Leading up to publishing the recipe, I made it quite a few times and found myself with an alarming stockpile of cooked brisket in my freezer.

Very easy to give away Pho take-home packs.

Not so easy to give away “really tender cooked brisket, like, totally shreddable! But it doesn’t have much flavour cause it’s been sucked out into the broth.”

Doesn’t sound very appetising does it?! 😂

So what do we do? We just inject a ton of Vietnamese flavours, then give it an extra wow factor by pan frying to get all those crispy golden bits!

Don’t worry if you happen not to have leftover cooked beef in your fridge. It’s VERY simple to make this from scratch.

Leftover beef from Pho for Vietnamese Shredded Beef

Type of leftover cooked beef to use

This Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef recipe is ideal to use with leftover beef picked off meaty bones when making broth, or large pieces of meat like brisket used in Pho or similar where the beef meat has been simmered for hours so the beef flavour leaches into the broth.

It can also be made with any type of cooked beef – it doesn’t even need to be shreddable – as long as it’s relatively neutral OR Asian flavoured so the Lemongrass Sauce flavour doesn’t clash.

The idea with this recipe is to repurpose beef scraps after making stock and to transform it into something amazing!

What to do if you don’t have leftover cooked beef

Just simmer raw brisket or chuck for 2.5 – 3 hours with a few basic flavourings (onion, garlic) until it’s shreddable. We don’t need to add flavour to the beef when braising because the Lemongrass Marinade does that job. But by adding some basic flavour into the braising liquid, you will be able to use that broth for another purpose (anything that calls for beef broth!).

Making Vietnamese Shredded Beef

Vietnamese Lemongrass Marinade

The flavour added to the beef is my “go-to” Vietnamese marinade recipe. I use it to marinate whole pieces of chicken (thigh, breast, wings, drumsticks) which I serve as is, or make Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Bowls. I marinate and grill or bake chicken wings, pork chops, tofu (yes really!), or prawns/shrimp (try this Vietnamese Shrimp Salad).

It’s a secret weapon marinade because of its versatility and how simple it is – just a mix of:

  • lemongrass – finely chopped fresh OR lazy paste

  • garlic – plenty!

  • sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and lime – for classic Asian sweet/savoury/sour flavour balance

Nuoc Cham sauce being drizzled over Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef

If you serve it hot off the stove then I think you’ll find you need nothing more than perhaps a quick squeeze of lime to finish it off, and a big dollop of chilli sauce or paste wouldn’t go astray either.

However! If you want to really go all out, make up some Nuoc Cham, the chilli-garlic-fish sauce-lime sauce that is served with everything in Vietnam. And that’s no exaggeration! There’s tons of variations, from lighter flavours so it’s used almost like a soup such as with Bun Cha (Vietnamese Meatballs), in my Vietnamese Chicken Salad to stronger sauces used for dipping Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls.

Use the Nuoc Cham dipping sauce in this Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken recipe, it’s the version best suited for this Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef.

Overhead photo of Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef served over rice with lime wedges, cucumber, chilli and peanuts

If you make this Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef to use up the beef after making Pho, you’ll love how the toppings and sides are basically the same ingredients! Lime wedges, a big pile of bean sprouts, fresh herbs (coriander/cilantro is ideal, Thai basil also fantastic, mint also great – or a combo of these).

A little fresh chilli if you can handle the heat and for some extra bedazzle, a little sprinkle of peanuts.

Boom.

Hard to believe this bowl of amazingness is made with scrappy leftover beef from making stock, isn’t it?? ☺️ – Nagi x

PS I’ve made this using leftover chicken too, such as after making homemade Chicken Noodle Soup from Scratch. It’s really terrific! Just use a touch extra oil.

2 bowls of Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef over rice with a side of bean sprouts and fresh herbs

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef
Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Overhead photo of Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef served over rice with lime wedges, cucumber, chilli and peanuts

Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef

Author: Nagi
Prep: 14 minutes mins
Cook: 6 minutes mins
Total: 20 minutes mins
Mains
Modern Vietnamese
4.96 from 25 votes
Servings3 - 4 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 27
Recipe video above. A very quick, very tasty way to use up leftover cooked beef used in things like broth (see notes to start from raw). Created to use up leftover brisket from making Vietnamese Pho. Cooked is tossed in a Vietnamese lemongrass marinade then pan fried until golden. It's INSANELY delicious! 

Ingredients

  • 500g / 1lb (3 cups) leftover cooked brisket or other beef , shredded or chopped (Note 1)
  • 1 - 2 tbsp oil , for cooking

Marinade:

  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 2 tbsp lime juice
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce , light or all purpose
  • 2.5 tbsp (packed) brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp lemongrass paste (Note 2)

Serving:

  • Rice or noodles
  • Lime wedges OR Nuoc Cham (Note 3)
  • Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves and/or finely sliced green onions
  • Finely sliced red chilli, sliced cucumber, crushed peanuts*

Instructions

  • Mix Marinade in a bowl.
  • Add shredded beef and mix. Set aside 5 minutes.
  • Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add about half the beef and spread out in single layer.
  • Leave undisturbed until golden (about 1 minute). Flip then cook the other side just briefly (about 30 seconds) just to heat and get a touch of golden, then remove.
  • Repeat with remaining beef.
  • Serve over rice, using either limes or Nuoc Cham as the sauce, and garnishes of choice (I used them all in the photos!)

Recipe Notes:

* Optional
1. Leftover cooked beef - Use any leftover cooked beef where the beef isn't too heavily flavoured with non Asian flavours, I used brisket from Pho. If the leftover meat is cold, reheat it using your chosen method (I microwave) then shred, or chop. To make from scratch, use this recipe:
EASY SHREDDED BRISKET
Place 800g/1.6lb brisket in pot with 2 smashed garlic cloves, 3 slices ginger, 1 onion cut into quarters. Just cover with water. Cover then simmer for 3 hours (or slow cooker 10 hours low, pressure cooked 1 hr 20 min high) or until brisket is easily shreddable, then use per this recipe (will shrink down to about 500g/1lb).
Reserve braising liquid for use as broth for Asiany recipes, reduce down as needed to get sufficient strength (I'd expect to get 2 - 3 cups out of that much brisket). Try this Chinese Noodle Soup, Wonton Soup, Hot and Sour Soup or add in some of the spices from the Pho recipe and make a simple Pho! Or use in place of water in any Stir Fry or Stir Fried Noodles recipe for extra amazingness.
2. Lemongrass paste - I use this for convenience, could also use 1 thick lemongrass stalk, very finely minced.
3. Sauce - Sizzling straight off the pan, it's so juicy that you won't need a sauce other than a squeeze of lemon juice. But if you want to douse everything in your bowl with a sauce, use Nuoc Cham, the garlic/chilli/lime/fish sauce sauce that is served with everything in Vietnamese cuisine! Use the Nuoc Cham sauce in this Lemongrass Chicken Noodle Bowl recipe.
4. Serves 3 to 4 as a meal with rice and sides as shown. Scale down recipe to however much beef you have (click/hover on Servings and slide)
Keywords: Vietnamese beef, Vietnamese recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Life of Dozer

Currently on a mini break with Dozer at Rick Stein’s Bannisters Hotel in Port Stephens! Finally – a great dog friendly hotel!!

Dozer Bannisters Infinity Pool

Previous Post
Breakfast Cookies (Healthy!)
Next Post
Better-Than-Dominos Garlic Bread

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Vietnamese Caramel Ginger Chicken close up

Vietnamese Caramel Ginger Chicken

Vietnamese noodles with lemongrass pork (Bún thịt nướng) ready to be eaten

Vietnamese lemongrass pork noodle bowls (bun thit nuong)

Cooked Vietnamese noodles with lemongrass pork (Bún thịt nướng)

Vietnamese lemongrass pork steaks

More Vietnamese

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




77 Comments

  1. Biljana Trandafilov says

    March 19, 2023 at 7:51 pm

    5 stars
    Oh so good ! Made them on nap buns delicious 😋

    Reply
  2. Mirella says

    February 1, 2023 at 5:46 am

    Wow just wow !! Amazing and easy recipe and it’s gonna be something to make even with minced beef ( which is how I made it today !!!) and added the nuoc sham sauce to it which balanced the sweetness of the meat !!

    Reply
    • Mirella says

      February 1, 2023 at 5:48 am

      Oh and we ate it with noodles instead of rice

      Reply
  3. Shanquala says

    November 13, 2022 at 3:30 pm

    4 stars
    We really enjoyed this recipe but did make it from scratch (don’t know how many people have enough left suitable beef leftover). My approx 750-770g brisket left me with 635 g shredded beef.
    I tossed in charred green beans w coriander & mint. I did find though you really need a nuoc cham sauce to give the whole dish a lift – it makes it!

    Reply
  4. Maria says

    February 23, 2022 at 10:38 am

    5 stars
    YUMMO – made this for dinner tonight but only had mince on hand. Super quick to make and utterly delicious. We will definitely be making this again and again. Thanks for the time you take to craft these recipes. They are all on point!

    Reply
  5. Michael Schultz says

    January 23, 2022 at 9:54 am

    What are Whole Annatto seeds used for…….Thanks

    Reply
  6. Marilyn Jennings says

    December 4, 2021 at 9:46 am

    5 stars
    I was wondering what i could make with the brisket from your wonderful Pho. So again another hit. I used bean sprouts today and tomorrow i will use rice. You are a great cook.Thanks again.

    Reply
  7. Victoria says

    October 13, 2021 at 8:51 am

    5 stars
    The caramelised Vietnamese beef is one of the best meals I have ever made! I hope you include it in your book 🙂

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 13, 2021 at 12:18 pm

      Thanks! N x

      Reply
  8. Nicole ODonnell says

    September 23, 2021 at 4:27 pm

    5 stars
    We love Vietnam and we are missing it with the COVID lockdown meaning we cannot travel there again for a while. Hope you’re doing ok in Sydney. Your recipes are keeping us well fed in lockdown in Newcastle! Really enjoyed this one, thank you!!

    Reply
  9. Nicole ODonnell says

    September 23, 2021 at 4:26 pm

    5 stars
    We love Vietnam and we are missing it with the COVID lockdown meaning we cannot travel there again for a while. Really enjoyed this one, thank you!!

    Reply
  10. elise beech says

    September 16, 2021 at 7:00 pm

    5 stars
    Best recipe i have made in a while this was delicious, if your thinking about making it please do you wont regret it at all <3

    Reply
  11. karyn says

    September 14, 2021 at 7:21 pm

    5 stars
    I made these meatballs yesterday, they were beautiful fresh in vietnamese rolls and as good reheated today with noodles.

    Reply
  12. J-Mom says

    June 7, 2021 at 8:32 am

    5 stars
    Yumm. Didn’t have cooked beef so just marinated thinly sliced sirloin tips.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 7, 2021 at 12:08 pm

      Sound great J-Mom! N x

      Reply
  13. David Gancarz says

    June 1, 2021 at 2:06 am

    I have not yet made this recipe, but intend to using my leftover brisket burnt ends. It will a little smokey, true, but Nagi’s marinade sounds a lot like a good BBQ sauce. Serve over crispy lettuce as a salad with condiments — should be tasty!

    Reply
  14. Bernie says

    May 30, 2021 at 1:18 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe and loved by the whole family! I couldn’t believe how well enjoyed it was (fussy eaters over here). So simple and full of flavour. Thank you.

    Reply
  15. Sabrina says

    January 30, 2021 at 12:24 pm

    Omg you are amazing! I made this with shredded bison it was as good if not better than a similar dish at my favourite Vietnamese restaurant. I am getting so spoiled Nagi I rarely go out to eat…..I know made by me, following your instructions will be better. Thank you💕

    Reply
  16. Sadia says

    January 10, 2021 at 9:50 am

    5 stars
    So, so good – one of my favourite recipes from Nagi, and that’s saying something! This will be made weekly now! Such amazing flavour for something that was relatively simple to make. Thank you!

    Reply
  17. Jeni Dye says

    December 12, 2020 at 1:41 pm

    5 stars
    Dangggg!!! This recipe is off the hook! I made pho broth (from Nagi) and forgot to thaw my tenderloin in time to eat the pho. But you know what I had sitting out begging to be used? A big ol’ slab of cooked brisket. I cook a fair amount of Vietnamese food, so I had all of the ingredients on hand (cheaters lemongrass is the way to go). I threw the marinade together in a few minutes, shredded the beef, and prepped my lettuce shreds, cucumber, cilantro, and nuoc cham while my rice was cooking. The meat crisps up perfectly in a hot cast iron, and pretty much tastes like meat candy when it’s done. The whole thing took less that a 1/2 hour to make. And it’s so unbelievably good that it’s got me swearing I was Vietnamese in a past life. This one is a serious keeper.

    Reply
  18. Sharon says

    November 6, 2020 at 6:10 am

    This was delicious! My whole family loved it! I used the extra brisket from your Pho recipe (which we also loved) and served it over rice for a quick and easy meal.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 6, 2020 at 8:47 am

      YUM! Perfect Sharon! N x

      Reply
  19. Paul says

    October 21, 2020 at 5:15 am

    5 stars
    Made this tonight. Oh my how lovely

    Reply
  20. Noriko says

    June 5, 2020 at 4:11 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious. I used the left over steak. My husband and I really enjoyed it.

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On
  • Goodfood
  • Food Network
  • Better Homes Gardens
  • Taste
  • Nine
  • Network 10
  • BuzzFeed
  • Daily Telegraph
  • Women's Day

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe to my newsletter and receive 3 FREE ebooks!

Subscribe
Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • By Category
  • Collections
About
  • About Nagi
  • About Dozer
  • RecipeTin Meals
Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Central
Help
  • Contact
  • Image Use Policy
© RecipeTin Eats 2023
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits
Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
All Rights Reserved

Subscribe to my newsletter

Sign up and receive 3 FREE EBOOKS!