Vietnamese Beef Fried Rice with Pickled Mustard Greens
Vietnamese Beef Fried Rice with Pickled Mustard Greens (Cơm Rang Dưa Bò) is a favorite of the locals in Hanoi. It is tasty and flavorful while still quick and easy to make with very simple ingredients.
This beef fried rice is well-loved by those who have lived and worked in Hanoi. It is so easy for students and office workers to find a place that sells cơm rang dưa bò in the capital city during their short lunch break. The dish features soft-chewy fried rice, flavorful, tender beef slices and crunchy, slightly sour pickled mustard greens.
I have also come across this dish in Saigon a few times though it is not as popular as in the North. The taste is slightly different, mostly due to the way they serve it. In Hanoi, the fried rice will be tossed together with the beef and pickled mustard greens before it is served. On the contrary, in Saigon, they plate the beef and mustard greens mixture either on the side or on top of the rice instead.
Ingredients
Here are the main ingredients for Vietnamese beef fried rice with pickled mustard greens:
🍚 Rice: I recommend long-grain rice (such as jasmine rice) that is day-old and refrigerated. Also, use less water when cooking the rice in your rice cooker, about 10-15% less. It will help you achieve a soft-chewy texture for the fried rice even with the less powerful home kitchen stoves.
🥩 Beef: I like to use flank steak or flat iron steak (oyster blade). Make sure you slice it thinly against the grain.
🥬 Pickled mustard greens: these are called dưa cải, dưa chua or cải chua in Vietnamese. They lend the dish a sour, salty flavor and balance the meatiness. You can find them in the refrigerator at Asian grocery stores. Give them a quick rinse and chop into small pieces like in the photo below (even smaller is fine).
🧄 Other ingredients include eggs and the followings:
- aromatics: garlic, shallot and scallion
- seasonings: soy sauce, fish sauce, oyster sauce
How to Make Vietnamese Beef Fried Rice
It is quick and easy to make com rang dua bo. This section will provide you with step-by-step images of the cooking process. You will find detailed list of ingredients and instructions at the end of the post as usual.
Make sure you have prepared and measured all ingredients before turning on the stove since the dish comes together quickly.
1. First, heat your pan until it is very hot. Then sauté the beef slices with some minced garlic. Transfer to a plate while it is still slightly pink.
2. Next, sauté the pickled mustard greens with minced shallots and garlic. Then add back the beef as well as the seasonings.
3. Wipe the pan clean and scramble the eggs. Set aside while it is still a bit runny.
4. Now, it’s time to fry the rice. Toss and turn constantly and season with salt and soy sauce to taste.
5. Finally, add back the eggs, beef and pickled mustard greens. Mix well to distribute evenly. You will need to work quickly to avoid overcooking the beef.
How to Serve
It is best to serve this Vietnamese beef and pickled mustard greens fried rice right away. You can put a small bowl of soy sauce with several slices of bird’s-eye chili on the side.
I usually like to serve fried rice with a bowl of soup to help send the rice down. In the photo, I have a bowl of tomato tofu soup (the recipe is in my e-book here). Some food stalls in Hanoi serve com rang dua bo with a bowl of beef pho broth. You can find my homemade beef pho broth recipe here.
Other Fried Rice Recipes
⭐️ I’d love to hear what you think about the dish, so please feel free to leave a comment and a rating if you have tried it. New recipes are added every week so let’s connect on Facebook, Youtube, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates. You can find my collection of Vietnamese recipes here.
Vietnamese Beef Fried Rice with Pickled Mustard Greens
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 5.5 oz beef, thinly sliced against the grain
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/8 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3/4 teaspoon cooking oil (and more for cooking)
For the Stir-fry Sauce
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 teaspoon oyster sauce
- 3/8 teaspoon sugar
For the Rice
- 4 oz pickled mustard greens
- 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided
- 2 teaspoons minced shallots
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups cooked rice, day-old and refrigerated (about 7.5 oz)
- 3/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1-2 teaspoons thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- Add beef slices to a mixing bowl and toss well with ⅛ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon pepper, cornstarch and cooking oil. Set aside while preparing other ingredients.
- Add all ingredients for the stir-fry sauce to a small bowl and stir well to combine. Set aside.
- Rinse the pickled mustard greens, then pat dry or gently squeeze out excess water. Remove the tough stems and chop into small pieces.
- Place a pan over medium heat and heat until very hot. Add cooking oil to coat the bottom and add ½ tablespoon of minced garlic. Cook for several seconds until fragrant then increase the heat to medium-high and add the beef in a single layer. Let the beef cook undisturbed for 20-30 seconds then toss and sauté for a few more seconds until the outside is still slightly pink. Transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. To the same pan, add a little more oil if needed. Add minced shallots, stir and cook for several seconds. Then add 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic, also stir and cook until the aromatics are fragrant. Add chopped pickled mustard greens and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Add the beef and the stir-fry sauce to the pan. Toss everything together quickly to distribute the seasonings evenly. Then transfer to a plate.
- Wipe the pan clean (or use a clean pan) and add about 1 teaspoon oil. Add the beaten eggs, swirl and scramble briefly and remove from the heat while the eggs are still soft and a little runny. Set aside.
- Heat some more oil in the pan, then add the remaining minced garlic. Stir for several seconds until fragrant, then increase the heat and add the rice. Stir and toss constantly to break up the rice for about a minute.
- Sprinkle ⅜ teaspoon salt as well as add ½ teaspoon soy sauce and ½ teaspoon black pepper to the rice. Continue to stir and toss constantly for a couple of minutes.
- Add scrambled eggs to the pan, break up the eggs into small bits and toss quickly with the rice for a few seconds. Then add sliced scallions, the beef and mustard greens mixture and give everything a quick toss to distribute the beef and mustard greens, as well as let the flavors fuse. Adjust seasonings to taste.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve right away.
