Remove the outer hard leaves from the lemon grass. Chop the softer inside very finely. Peel 1 clove of garlic and chop finely. Wash the steak, dab dry and cut into strips. Mix lemon grass, garlic, steak strips and pepper and put aside.
Pour hot water over the rice noodles, soak for 5 minutes. Loosen up with 2 forks, rinse with cold water and drain. For the sauce, peel 3 garlic cloves, dice finely. Clean the chilli, scrape out the seeds.
Wash the pods and chop them very finely. Mix fish sauce, vinegar, lime juice, sugar, chilli and garlic. Clean and wash the romaine lettuce and cut into thin strips. Peel cucumber, cut in half and remove seeds.
Cut into pieces about 10 cm wide. Cut these into very fine strips. Wash the sprouts, drain well and mix with the cucumber. Wash the herbs, dab dry and pluck. Put lettuce, cucumber mixture, herbs and noodles one after the other on a plate.
Coarsely chop the peanuts. Clean and wash spring onions and cut into rings. Heat the oil in a pan, fry the meat in it in portions and take it out. Sauté the spring onions briefly in the frying fat and mix in the meat.
Spread on the noodles, sprinkle with peanuts and serve with the sauce.