Bo Ne Vietnamese steak and eggs

The Vietnamese have a literal and figurative way of naming food. The “xeo” in banh xeo doesn’t really have a meaning, except that it’s the sound of tumeric rice batter sizzling on the pan. Bo luc lac, describes the shaking of the pan as you saute and sear the beef. Likewise, bo ne, literally means ducking beef, as in ducking to avoid the splatter of butter and oil as the beef is sizzling on a hot pan as it’s brought out to your table.

Bo ne is Vietnam’s version of steak and eggs. A simple, but quite luxurious dish often eaten for breakfast. Butter is used with a heavy hand, but if that’s not enough to satisfy your greasy spoon, a dollop of pate is often smothered on top of the steak. Spread the pate goodness around, dip the beef in a lime, salt, and pepper sauce and wipe the mixture of butter and runny yolk with crusty french bread and you’re assured of starting the day right.

Bo Ne Vietnamese Steak and Eggs
Serves 2

2 6-8 ounces of your favorite cut of steak
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1 stem of green onions, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
2 eggs
2 stems of cherry tomatoes on the vine, drizzled with olive oil, pinch salt
Dollop of pate
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper
1 wedge of lime

Marinate the steaks with salt, pepper, and rub small on oyster sauce. Heat small amount of oil and caramelized onion until tender and brown as well as tenderize green onions and remove from heat. Pan fry steak with small amount of oil and 1 tbs butter until desired level of doneness. Remove from heat and allow to rest. Using same pan, add remainder of butter and fry the sunny side up egg to desired doneness and also pan fry the cherry tomatoes at the same time. In small dipping bowl, add the salt and pepper and squeeze of lime. Assemble steak, eggs, and tomatoes on serving platter and finish with dallop of pate and caramelized onions and enjoy.

Optional: Use a cast iron pan and serve everything in the pan or heat a seperate fajita skillet like we did on the stove at the same time, and assemble all components together at the end to serve.

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