Bò lúc lắc

About this recipe

Once a luxury item in the mid-1900s, Vietnamese shaking beef is served as a special entree for all sorts of occasions ranging from a typical Vietnamese dinner to Tet dinner parties. Served like a salad with tomatoes and arugula, the dish has its French roots since France’s occupation of Vietnam. Traditionally, it is served with onions, cucumbers, and peppers while the beef is diced into cubes shaped like playing dice.

Ingredients

Beef

• 0.75 lb of beef ribeye or filet
• 1 small red onion
• 3 stalks of scallions
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1.5 tablespoons of butter
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• Black pepper to taste

Soy sauce mixture

• 2 tablespoons of rice (or apple cider) vinegar
• 2 teaspoons of dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon of low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon of oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons of sugar

Salad

• Handful of arugula or watercress
• 1 tomato

Step-by-step cooking instructions

1. Dice the beef into 1 1/4 inch thick cubes and put it in a mixing bowl with the salt, sugar, and pepper and mix. Set aside to come near to room temperature.
2. Slice the tomato thinly and arrange slices in a circle on the serving plate. Take a handful of arugula and place it in the center of the serving plate with the tomatoes jutting out slightly.
3. Thinly slice the red onion and slice the scallions. Mince the garlic well.
4. Combine all the ingredients for the soy sauce mixture in a bowl. Taste to make sure the sauce is to your liking and adjust accordingly.
5. Heat a wok or pan with sloping sides on medium-high heat and add cooking oil. Once hot, add the beef and sear the sides for 4 minutes.
6. Add the onions, soy sauce mixture, garlic, and butter and saute well until the sauce thickens and coats the beef and the onions start to caramelize, about 5–6 minutes. Reduce heat to medium if needed.
7. Add scallions, mix, and transfer the beef mixture on top of the arugula and tomato salad. Serve with rice or alone.