The international culinary site The Tasting Table had an article about “bò né”. Beef and eggs drenched in a rich sauce served on a hot cast-iron pan is a popular dish at all times of the day.
The dish has an interesting name, “bò né,” which describes how diners tilt or lean to avoid the oil and sauce splattering from the hot cast iron pan when the beef dish is served on the table. As the pan cools down, the process of enjoying the meal proceeds normally, and diners can gradually savor the full flavor of the dish.
According to the overview of The Tasting Table, the “bò né” dish consists of fried eggs, pâté and a piece of fresh, flavorful beef covered with sauce. Diners will eat with bread, herbs and maybe a little more salad. Diners can freely combine the ingredients or mix them all to enjoy. When experienced with an iced coffee, this is a satisfying treat. This dish uses high heat cooking to create a rich flavor and can be found at many street food stalls.
Popular breakfast dish with easy-to-find ingredients
According to The Tasting Table, “bo Ne” can now be eaten at any time, but the original origin is believed to be from a street food in the port city of Vung Tau. Here, the chef chooses easy-to-find ingredients combined with beef to bring diners an affordable breakfast. Served on sizzling cast iron skillets, this is a dish accessible to many workers, students and families.
True to the name of the dish, the first main ingredient is beef. Each chef will have their own way of cutting and preparing their favorite cuts of meat. Beef will be marinated with many spices according to their own recipes, even, some chefs do not marinate at all to keep the fresh taste of beef.
Cooked with beef is a small pâté, ready-made or purchased from a specialized establishment, and sometimes with the addition of a sausage. Some vegetables are also often used to add flavor such as onions, chives, garlic, cherry tomatoes and topped with a little green onion. To bind these ingredients, eggs and butter will be used to add color and richness to the dish. To fully enjoy the sauce in the pan, bread is a suitable accompaniment. Some eateries also serve simple, refreshing salads made with ingredients like lettuce, tomatoes, and onions.
How to prepare and serve “bò né”
First step is also an important step when preparing “bò né” is the sauce. The core ingredients are oyster sauce and black pepper, in addition to some other ingredients such as fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger or chili.
Regarding beef, you can cut it first and leave it ready or cut it into pieces before cooking to make the meat color fresher.
Next is to prepare the cast iron pan. The pan will be placed on the stove and put a little oil. The steak is placed on top and grilled on each side for a few minutes. Depending on the taste of each person, the meat can be grilled from rare to fully cooked. After the meat is satisfactory, the meat can be taken out and cooked with the other ingredients until evenly cooked. Some chefs often leave the meat in the pan and cook with other ingredients such as pâté, eggs, and butter.
After the ingredients are cooked evenly, onions, garlic and herbs are added to the pan to enhance the flavor and color of the dish. The cast iron pan will be brought to the table with a piece of bread that is cut into easy-to-eat pieces.
About the way to serve the dish, the “bo Ne” pan will be brought out with salad and some spices such as pepper, chili … for diners to use when needed. Each diner can also have a different way of enjoying. Bread can be dipped in egg yolks, seasonings and served with salads. Or you can stuff a piece of beef in bread and eat it with vegetables. Being able to enjoy this dish comfortably is also one of the reasons why people of all walks of life love “bo Ne”. International tourists also gradually know this dish with an interesting name. Everyone wants to enjoy a plate of hot, flavorful beef at any time of the day.
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Source: Vietnam Insider