Vietnamese Beef Skewers

Step 1

Place the beef on a cutting board and cut it into 1-inch cubes by slicing lengthwise into strips about 1 inch wide, then crosswise into 1-inch pieces, so each cube is roughly the size of a dice.

Step 2

Trim the lemongrass stalks: remove the dry outer layers until you see pale, tender flesh. Slice the stalks crosswise into very thin rings, about the thickness of a toothpick. You should have about 3 tablespoons of sliced lemongrass.

Step 3

Mince the garlic cloves until the pieces are smaller than a grain of rice—about the size of pencil-tip dots—by pressing the flat of your knife blade on top of each clove to crush it, then chopping it finely.

Step 4

Place the beef cubes in a medium bowl and add 3 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 2 tablespoons olive oil, the minced garlic, and the sliced lemongrass.

Step 5

Stir the beef and marinade together with a spoon for 30 seconds until every piece of beef is coated and the aromatics are evenly distributed.

Step 6

Let the bowl sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while you prepare the grill or heat a cast iron skillet.

Step 7

Thread the beef cubes onto 4 skewers, leaving a tiny gap between each piece so heat can circulate. Leave about 1 inch of skewer empty at each end as a handle.

Step 8

Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until you can feel strong heat radiating from it and a drop of water sizzles immediately on contact.

Step 9

Place the skewers on the hot pan, leaving 1 inch of space between them. Do not move them for 2 minutes so the beef develops a dark golden-brown crust on the bottom.

Step 10

Rotate each skewer a quarter turn and cook for another 2 minutes until the new side is dark golden-brown.

Step 11

Repeat the rotation two more times, cooking for 2 minutes on each of the remaining two sides, so all four faces of the beef are charred and the meat is cooked through.

Step 12

Transfer the skewers to a serving plate and let them rest for 2 minutes before serving so the juices settle inside the meat.