Everything tastes better when threaded onto a stick and grilled over fire.

These Vietnamese-inspired beef skewers are marinated in fish sauce, lemongrass, shallots and garlic. The fire will do its magic to char the meat and seal in the juicy flavour, and the end result is sure to please.

It is tasty enough that you won’t need any dipping sauce.

Ingredients and accessories

• 500g top sirloin steak
• 20-25 wooden skewers

For marinade:

• 1/3 cup (20g) minced fresh lemongrass, white part only
• 1/4 cup (40g) minced shallot
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

For garnishing:

• 1/4 cup (40g) roasted peanuts, crushed
• 1/4 cup (40g) lightly sautéed scallion

Method

• Slice the steak into small thin pieces, approximately 2cm square and 0.5cm thick.
• Combine all ingredients for the marinade.
• Add the marinade to the meat and mix well. Marinade for at least 1 hour.
• Soak the wooden skewers in water for at least 30 minutes.
• Insert the meat through the wooden skewers.
• Heat up the grill. Cook the meat for at least 2-3 minutes on each side, or until desired tenderness is achieved.
• Garnish the lemongrass beef skewers with crushed peanuts and sautéed scallion before serving.

Tip: To make the sautéed scallion, heat up a non-stick pan with 2 teaspoons of cooking oil. When the oil is hot, add in the chopped scallions. Lightly sauté for 1 minute and add salt to taste.

This recipe can be found in Rasa Malaysia.

Low Bee Yinn is a food blogger and cookbook author.