Bò lúc lắc (Vietnamese shaking beef)
35 min · 47 g protein · 581 cals / serving
Cubes of garlicky, soy-and-oyster-marinated steak seared hard in a smoking-hot pan, tossed with butter and onions, then tipped, juices and all, onto peppery watercress, sweet tomatoes and cucumber. Dip each bite in the tangy salt, pepper and lime sauce and eat it with rice. About an hour, most of it marinating.
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 1/2 lb top sirloin steak, in 2.5 cm (1-inch) cubes
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 4 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp black pepper
To serve
- 1 cup jasmine rice, steamed
Salad
- 6 big handfuls watercress, thick stems trimmed, or lettuce
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cucumber, in thick half-moons
- 1/4 red onion, very thinly sliced
Lime dip
- 3 tbsp lime juice, from about 2 limes
- 1/2 tsp salt
Beef
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3/4 red onions, in 2.5 cm (1-inch) squares
- 4 green onions, in 3 cm (1-inch) lengths
Steps
- Toss the beef with the garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, cornstarch and pepper. Marinate at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or up to 2 hours in the fridge.
- Cook the rice.
- Spread the watercress, tomatoes, cucumber and sliced red onion over a platter. Stir the lime juice with the salt and a big pinch of pepper in small dishes for dipping.
- Heat a wok or cast-iron pan over high heat until it smokes, add half the oil and half the beef in a single layer, and leave it alone for 1 minute to crust. Then shake the pan (that is the name of the dish) and toss for 1–2 minutes more, until browned on all sides and still pink inside (145°F for medium-rare). Tip onto a plate and repeat with the rest.
- Lower the heat to medium, melt the butter and cook the red onion squares and green onion 2 minutes, until just soft. Return the beef and its juices and shake together for 30 seconds, until glossy.
- Pile the beef and every drop of its juices over the watercress so the leaves wilt a little. Serve straight away with the rice and the lime dip.
Good to know
Which cut should I use?
Top sirloin is tender, beefy and good value. Filet mignon (tenderloin) is the restaurant choice and melts in the mouth, at about the same score; rib-eye is juicier and richer still.
Why did my beef stew instead of sear?
The pan was crowded or not hot enough. Cook in two batches in a pan that is smoking before the beef goes in, and dry the cubes a little if the marinade is wet.
No watercress?
Romaine, butter lettuce or rocket all work, at about the same score. Watercress is traditional because its pepperiness stands up to the rich beef.
Alternative
Per
- Calories
- 99
- Protein
- (33%)
- 8 g
- Fat
- (24%)
- 3 g
- Carbohydrates
- (43%)
- 11 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 250 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. How
As written, 2323 kcal goes into the pot and 2177 g of ingredients comes out as about 2350 g of food: 99 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.