Lemongrass beef

One word to describe tonight's recipe: YUUUUUUMMMM!!! This was absolutely delicious. I used all-natural sirloin steak from Fischer Farms instead of tri-tip or sirloin tip.

The recipe is from Quick & Easy Vietnamese: 75 Everyday Recipes, by Nancie McDermott. She also has a Web site, http://www.nanciemcdermott.com/.

Lemongrass beef (serves 4 to 6)

1 pound boneless beef, such as tri-tip or sirloin tip

3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh lemongrass

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 tablespoon chopped shallots or onion (I'm partial to shallots)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil

15 to 20 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes

Below are instructions from McDermott's book. I hope you can enlarge it by clicking on it, but I'm not sure. In a nutshell, though: Put all the ingredients except the beef and the skewers in a small food processor or hand blender, and blend until fairly smooth. Cut the beef into 2-inch strips, thinly, and cover them in a medium bowl with the marinade for a couple hours in the refrigerator. Then thread the beef onto the skewers and grill over high heat for 1-2 minutes per side.

Serve with vegetable fried rice.