Vietnamese Shaking Beef/Bo Luc Lac

My friend Janice and I went to Philly for our Asian groceries shopping a couple of weeks ago and after that we went for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant. Since I’ve never been there I let her do the ordering. She ordered a few dishes and one of them was Bo Luc Lac. Bo Luc Lac literally translated is ‘Shaking Beef’ The luc Lac refers to how you have to shake back and forth the skillet or wok to sear the cubes of beef.

I love this beef salad so much that I have to re-creates it at home. After a little research online I came up with this. I used my leftover tenderloin from the freezer for this but you can use other cuts of meat of your choice as long as they are good for quick stir-fry. This dish is normally served on a bed of watercress salad and since I am too lazy to drive out to get it I just served them with lettuce and tomatoes. Both of us enjoyed this dish very much. The beef is so tender, succulent and flavorful... it packs such a punch of flavor. The next time I cook this again I will try it out with other cuts of meat and see the difference in taste.

Ingredients:
Recipe Source: My Kitchen Snippets

1 lb beef tenderloin
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp soy sauce
½ tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp black pepper
1 red chili - sliced (optional)
1 onion - sliced

1 bunch lettuce (watercress is traditionally used)
2 tomato
3 tbsp rice or white distilled vinegar
1 tsp sugar

1. To prepare the meat for the marinade, remove silver skin and cut out excess fat. Cut meat into 3/4” cubes and place into bowl to marinade. Add in chopped garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar and pepper. Mix really well and let it marinate for at least an hour.
2. Prepare your lettuce and sliced tomato thinly and place over the lettuce on a serving platter and set it aside. Mix the 3 tbsp of vinegar and sugar together. Drizzle it all over the salad before serving.
3. Ensure the marinated meat is at room temperature if you had refrigerated it. This means it should be out of the fridge at least 15-20 minutes before cooking.
4. Set a wok or large pan over high heat. Oil up the wok with 3 tbsp vegetable oil. When the oil is shimmering, add in your meat. Try not to over crowd the pan. This is important to ensure good searing. Cook in batches if necessary. Also, take care not get marinate into the pan if not the meat won’t sear well.
5. Allow to meat to sear for about 2 minutes, before “shaking” to sear the opposite sides for about another 1-2 minute until brown all the sides. Before the meat is fully done, add in the onion and chili. Give it a few quick stir-fry.
6. Transfer beef to bed of lettuce and tomatoes. Serve immediately.

Note: We like our beef medium well done so I cook it for a total of 5 minutes.