The first time I had Vietnamese Shaking Beef or Bo Luc Lac was in Mui Ne, Vietnam, a beach resort town outside of Saigon/Ho Chi Minh city.
We were close to our resort when we pulled over to a random beach-front restaurant to freshen up and fill our bellies. In the beautiful country of Vietnam and in the city of seafood galore, I ordered a hamburger. You live and learn.
Luckily, my husband ordered Shaking Beef and naively offered me a bite.
After one bite of this flavorful Vietnamese dish of seared beef cubes, I tossed my hamburger aside. I slid his plate over to me and finished his food like a stealth ninja.
What is Shaking Beef?
Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac in Vietnamese or Beef Lok Lak in Khmer) is a French-inspired dish of wok-seared cubed steak that’s been marinated in a soy-based sauce then quickly sautéed with garlic, onion, and butter.
Lúc Lắc means to shake in Vietnamese. The dish got its name from the constant shaking of the wok that’s needed to get a nice crust on each individual steak cube.
The wok-seared beef is served on a bed of lettuce, watercress, tomato and/or cucumbers, and lime-salt-and-pepper dipping sauce on the side. You can have it on its own as an appetizer or with its sister dish, red fried rice for a complete meal.
Bo Luc Lac is not a common home-cooked dish. It’s more of a celebratory dish that is eaten as an appetizer. However, nowadays, you now can find Bo Luc Lac served with rice in many Vietnamese restaurants.
Which cut of beef to use for Shaking Beef?
When making this dish, use a good-quality steak. High-end restaurants opt for the fancy cuts such as filet mignon for a tender and juicy steak. But you can also use less expensive cuts like sirloins or tri-tips. You may have to chew a little more, but the flavor is all the same.
To start, trim off any excess fat, and cut the steak into 1-inch cubes. Alternatively, you can leave the steak whole so that you don’t have to do a lot of shaking, then slice it up into cubes later. However, that wouldn’t be as fun.
Vietnamese Shaking Beef Recipe (Bò Lúc Lắc)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
Description
A popular Vietnamese beef dish featuring seared cubed steak sautéed with garlic, onion, butter, and a soy marinade. Served on a bed of lettuce, watercress, and tomatoes, it comes with a zesty lime-salt-and-pepper dipping sauce for extra flavor.
Ingredients
Beef Marinade
- 2 lbs beef sirloin (trim off excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes)
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves (mince)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small onion (either red, white or yellow, slice into thin wedges)
- 1 garlic clove (mince)
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Lime Dipping Sauce (Optional)
- 4 teaspoons lime juice (about half a lemon/lime)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Salad
- Lettuce
- Watercress
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
Instructions
- Marinate beef: In a large bowl, marinate beef with sugar, salt, black pepper, and minced garlic for at least 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, fish sauce, honey, rice vinegar, and sugar. Add sugar a little at a time to taste. Leave out the aromatics (onions and garlic) at this point.
- Pan fry the beef: In a large skillet or wok, heat up vegetable oil on high. Add the beef cubes and sear on all sides by shaking the beef until medium rare. It’s highly recommended to do this in batches to get a nice sear without overcooking. No more than 3 minutes total. Transfer beef to a plate and set aside.
- Prepare the sauce and add beef: To the now empty skillet, add butter. Once melted, add onions and garlic. Sauté until fragrant (about 1-2 minutes). Add sauce mixture and seared beef cubes. Toss until nicely coated.
- Serve: Transfer beef and sauce onto a bed of lettuce, tomatoes, and/or cucumbers. Serve shaking beef with its sister dish, red fried rice, and optional dipping sauce by mixing together lime juice, salt, and pepper.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: side dish, appetizer, entree
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: asian, vietnamese
