Steven Raichlen’s Vietnamese Crispy Brisket Salad

Ingredients

For the dressing

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp fresh lime juice
2 tbsp Asian fish sauce
2 tbsp cold water
1 tsp freshly ground pepper

For the salad

1 cup vegetable oil for frying
1/2 pound barbecued brisket, torn into shreds
1 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 serrano chiles, stemmed and sliced crosswise
2 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh cilantro, basil, and peppermint or spearmint (at least two, ideally all three)
3 tbsp chopped dry-roasted peanuts

Recipes

1. Place the garlic and 1 teaspoon of the sugar in a small mixing bowl and mash to a paste with the back of a spoon. Add the remaining sugar,

Directions

lime juice, fish sauce, cold water, and pepper, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Correct the seasoning, adding lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar to taste. The dressing should be highly seasoned. The dressing can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 1 hour until serving (longer than that and the garlic tends to take over).

2. Just before serving, line a plate with paper towels. Heat the oil in a deep saucepan or wok to 350°F. Working in batches, deep-fry the shredded brisket until sizzling and crisp, 2 minutes. Transfer the brisket with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate to drain.

3. Pour the dressing into a large serving bowl. Stir in the fried brisket shreds. Add the cucumber, chiles, scallions, and herbs. Toss to mix. Sprinkle with the peanuts and serve.

 
For more recipes just like these:

The Brisket Chronicles: How to Barbecue, Braise, Smoke, and Cure the World’s Most Epic Cut of Meat, by Steven Raichlen

Excerpted from The Brisket Chronicles by Steven Raichlen, photographs by Matthew Benson. Workman Publishing (c) 2019. McSpadden© 2015.