Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaken Beef)
Bò lúc lắc, or Vietnamese shaken beef, is the stuff of quick-and-easy culinary heaven. Juicy, flavorful chunks of tender beef in an addictive marinade, seared to perfection - all in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ribeye steak
- 1.5 tbsp minced garlic about 6 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- ½ tbsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp black pepper
Instructions
Marinade and Prep
- Make the bo luc lac marinade by combining minced garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, black pepper, and sesame oil in a bowl.
- Cut the beef into little chunks of bite-sized pieces. Trim away large layers of fat – not the whole thing, but like 80-90%. Place the beef cubes into the marinade and toss to coat thoroughly.
- Cover the marinating beef and place it in the fridge for up to 24 hours. OR leave it to marinate on the counter while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- While the beef is soaking up the marinade sauce, you can prep anything else you’ll be adding or serving alongside the bo luc lac.Onions. Slice or dice the onions into smaller pieces.Garlic. If you want to add more garlic into the dish, slice and dice it now. Lengthwise is perfect.Watercress. Or whatever leafy green you’re using, clean and drain it. Set aside.Tomatoes. Wash and slice the tomatoes.Dipping sauce. Squeeze the juice from one lime and mix it with salt and pepper.
Make Bo Luc Lac
- Heat a wok on medium heat. Add about a tablespoon of ghee or an oil and butter combination. Add shallots and garlic and toss to coat them in the delicious butter for about a minute.
- Clear a big circle in the center of the wok by pushing the onions toward the edge of the wok. Turn the heat to high.
- Add half the beef cubes to the center of the wok and shake and sizzle for about 2 to 5 minutes until the beef is evenly cooked on all sides. If you want it to get a bit of char, let the meat sit for at least a minute or so before shaking it up. Set aside.
- Repeat with the other half of beef cubes. Sizzle, sizzle, shake, shake again.
- When the beef is seared to perfection, remove from heat and serve.
Notes
What meat for bo luc lac? The best meat for bo luc lac is pretty much any tender cut of beef. Think: tenderloin, boneless rib eye, strip steak, or even filet mignon. Avoid leaner cuts like skirt or flank as we won’t be doing anything to tenderize the meat.
What veggies can I add? Onions, shallots, bell peppers, green onions are all delicious cooked with the beef. For the onions and shallots, you have a couple options on what to do with them...
- Add it to the beef: Slice or dice white, yellow or brown onions and cook them alongside the beef. You can either add them in once the beef is mostly done so that the onions retain a bit of crunch or you can do them first and cook them so they’re caramelized.
- In the marinade: Blend the onions or shallots with the bo luc lac sauce. It’s easy, adds a bit of tenderizing and boosts flavor in the marinade, and it great if you have people in your family who don’t like the texture of onions.
- Pickled onion side: Another delicious option is to pickle the onions. The easiest way to do this is to mi together 1/2 cup rice vinegar or lime juice with 1/2 tablespoon salt and 1/2 tablespoon white sugar. Give it a good stir, toss in thinly-sliced red onions, cover and set aside in the fridge for around 15 minutes, while you make the shaking beef.