Charles Phan’s Vietnamese Shaking Beef – Bò Lúc Lắc

Citizens, my last recipe was for a legendary American steak recipe from nearly 150 years ago – lets mix it up for this one and go with a totally different and equally classic Vietnamese recipe also beloved here in America!

Bò Lúc Lắc (Sauté Diced Beef) is cubed beef sautéed with cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, pepper, and soy sauce dish in French-inspired Vietnamese cuisine.

The name literally translate to “shaking beef”, which is cut into small cubes the size of playing dice (hột lúc lắc) before being sautéed.

Beef used to be a luxury ingredient in Vietnamese cuisine, therefore the dish is mostly served in formal events, such as wedding banquet and anniversaries. In the USA, this dish is often called “shaking beef”, which follows from the Vietnamese name of the dish and refers to part of the cooking process.

In neighboring Cambodia, there is an almost identical dish called Lok lak. It is a Cambodian cuisine version of the dish, served on a bed of lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes and dipped in a sauce consisting of lime juice, salt and black Kampot pepper (tek merec).

Super-Chef Charles Phan’s Bò Lúc Lắc (shaking beef) !

In his version, cubes of beef filet are sautéed very quickly with red onions and a vinaigrette and then served with a salt and pepper lime dipping sauce over watercress and the ubiquitous bowl of white rice.

, I could not hope to possibly improve upon Chef Phan’s legendary version made with the luxurious filet mignon cut, so I present it to you unadulterated, straight from the source himself! 😀

Battle on – The Generalissimo

Charles Phan’s Vietnamese Shaking Beef – Bò Lúc Lắc

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• Total Time: 0 hours

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 1/2 – 2 pounds filet mignon, fat trimmed and cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 3 stalks green onions, trimmed and cut to 1-inch lengths
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ***
• Stir-Fry Sauce:
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light soy sauce (regular)
• 1/4 cup fish sauce (he uses Squid brand, TFD prefers Red Boat 40)
• 1 teaspoon rice wine
• ***
• Salt and Pepper Dipping Sauce:
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup of freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 bunch watercress, washed

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Instructions

1. Rub ½ teaspoon black pepper and 1 tablespoon oil over meat and refrigerate about 2 hours.
2. Make the stir-fry sauce by combining the white vinegar, sugar, soy, fish sauce, and rice wine. Mix until sugar is dissolved. Set aside.
3. Make dipping sauce by mixing together salt and pepper in a ramekin. Pour lime juice over salt pepper mixture. Stir and set aside.
4. Divide the meat into two portions, and do the same with the onions. Heat ¼ cup of oil in wok or large sauté pan over maximum heat. (Don’t overload the pan, or the meat will not brown properly. You may need to divide the cooking into batches depending on your pan size and the strength of your cooking range.)
5. When the oil begins to smoke, add the first batch of meat in one layer. Let a brown crust form, and turn to brown the other side. Browning should take 3 minutes total.
6. Add red onion, scallions, and garlic to the pan. Shake or stir ingredients in the pan for about 30 seconds.
7. Add stir-fry sauce. Continue to shake or stir ingredients.
8. Add butter, and continue to cook and shake pan until butter melts. Remove from heat. Wash your pan and cook next batch.
9. Serve beef over watercress with lime dipping sauce. White rice is traditional as an accompaniment.

• Prep Time: 0 hours
• Cook Time: 0 hours

Nutrition

• Calories: 904.6 kcal
• Sugar: 15.03 g
• Sodium: 2100.95 mg
• Fat: 72.17 g
• Saturated Fat: 20.27 g
• Trans Fat: 0.35 g
• Carbohydrates: 20.47 g
• Fiber: 1.34 g
• Protein: 43.14 g
• Cholesterol: 183.94 mg