For this week’s Signature Saturdays, I’m sharing a popular dish that has one too many versions among the Vietnamese. This version in particular is taken from Andrea Nguyen’s book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen:
Bo Kho (Beef Stewed with Tomato, Star Anise and Lemongrass) 
Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless beef chuck, well trimmed and cut into 1½ -inch chunks
1 hefty stalk lemongrass, loose leaves discarded, cut into 3-inch lengths and bruised with the broad side of a cleaver or chef’s knife
3 tbsps fish sauce
1½ tsps Chinese five-spice powder
2½ tbsps peeled and minced fresh ginger
1½ tsps brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tbsps canola oil
1 yellow onion, finely …read more

Read on and find out how this recipe got its name:
Ingredients:
500g fillet steak
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Procedure:
1. Cut the steak into bite-sized cubes. Place it in a bowl with the garlic, oil, fish sauce, sugar, salt and pepper, and mix well to combine. Cover and marinate for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Heat a heavy-based wok until very hot; add the beef in 3 batches and toss, by shaking the wok and turning the meat with tongs, until brown and seared on the outside but still …read more

Another one of many flavorful ways to cook prawns:
Ingredients:
500g medium raw prawns
6 spring onions
1 tbsp oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsps caramel sauce*
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 red pepper, cut into fine strips, to garnish
Procedure:
1. Remove the prawn heads and, using a fine needle, devein prawns, leaving the tails, shells and legs intact. Rinse the prawns under running water and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Finely chop half the spring onions. Cut the rest into 4 cm long pieces and then finely shred the pieces into thin strips.
3. Heat the oil in …read more