• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cooking Therapy logo

  • Home
  • About Me
    • Work With Me
    • Contact
    • Disclaimer
  • Subscribe
  • Savory
    • Appetizers
    • Drinks
    • Entrees
    • Sauces & Seasonings
    • Sides
    • Soups & Stews
    • Vegetarian
    • Vietnamese Recipes
    • Weeknight Meals
  • Sweet
    • Asian Desserts
    • Bars & Brownies
    • Breakfast
    • Cakes, Tarts & Pies
    • Candy & Truffles
    • Cookies
    • Curds, Creme Brulee & Flan
    • Donuts
    • Ice Cream
    • Macarons
    • Matcha Desserts
  • Eat
  • Restaurant Guides

Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)

Nov 3, 2019 · 2 Comments

Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

vietnamese shaking beef

I have been craving some Vietnamese food the past week, but I haven’t had a ton of time to cook lately. And most Vietnamese food takes a long time to cook like pho takes at least 3 hours! So I thought why not some Vietnamese shaking beef or bo luc lac in Vietnamese? I always make some version of this dish for myself when I am out of ideas, or I’m lazy/don’t have time. It is literally that easy to make. All in all, a little over 30 minutes and you got a great meal.

vietnamese shaking beef

What is Vietnamese Shaking Beef?

Vietnamese shaking beef is marinated beef cubes sautéed in a wok. It’s called “shaking” beef because you shake the wok to get an even sear on the beef. I did not have a wok when I made this, so I did it with just a pan. But the results are DEFINITELY better with a wok because it can reach a higher temperature than a regular pan can which means the meat cooks faster, and you get a better sear on the outside.

This dish is the perfect example of French influence in Vietnam. The French occupied Vietnam for 6 decades starting in the late 1880s, and its influence can still be seen today in modern Vietnam. Beef was considered a luxury food item in Vietnam back in the day because it was so expensive, so it used to be served at only special events. Nowadays, it’s served all over Vietnam and is also popular in the US.

ingredients

Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments

  • Fish sauce – Adds saltiness to the recipe. My favorite brand of fish sauce to use is Three Crabs, but any brand of fish sauce should work. You can get fish sauce at any major grocery store!
  • Oyster sauce – A bit of a strong flavor, but this is used to add more umami flavor to the marinade. Oyster sauce nowadays can be found in major grocery chains as well as Asian markets.
  • Brown sugar – This ingredient adds some sweetness to the marinade. If you want a healthier alternative to brown sugar, substitute with coconut sugar.
  • Black soy sauce – If you can’t find black soy sauce, substitute with regular soy sauce. To make this dish gluten free, use tamari instead of soy sauce.
  • Sake (optional) – I added this because I felt inspired watching Queer Eye Japan, but it does add some great flavor to the marinade. Optional though!
  • Ribeye steak – Ribeye steak has great a proportion of fat on it which is why I like to use it for this dish. You can use any cut of steak, but I would highly recommend one with some fat on it. The fat adds moisture and flavor to the meat. Some people have used filet mignon to make a really fancy version of this dish.
  • Rice wine vinegar – This is used for the pickling liquid. You can use any type of white vinegar for pickling.
  • Lettuce – The best lettuce to use is green lettuce. I don’t love iceberg or red lettuce for this dish.
  • Tomatoes – Any type of tomatoes should work for this recipe! My favorite type of tomato to use are roma tomatoes.

vietnamese shaking beef

Making my Vietnamese shaking beef

I love this dish because it is so easy to make. First you gotta marinate the beef in soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, oyster sauce, black pepper and garlic for about 30 minutes. I added a dash of sake just because I wanted to, and it made the beef taste amazing, so I highly recommend it. The sake is optional though.

After marinating for half an hour, cook over high heat in a wok or large pan. This should take 5 minutes max and you’re done! You want an even sear on the outside and a medium rare to medium temperature on the inside. The small size of your beef allows its to cook evenly and quickly.

vietnamese shaking beef

How do you eat this dish?

This dish is best served with pickled red onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Definitely feel free to make adjustments but this is how it is traditionally served. The tomatoes and lettuce provide a balance to the hearty beef, and the pickled red onions add a bit of tartness. All together it creates for an amazing combination of flavors. You can substitute white rice with quinoa, brown rice, or bread! I’ve definitely made a sandwich with shaking beef before, and it tastes amazing.

I have to give some extra love to picked red onions. I LOVE pickled red onions. They’re super pretty in pictures and they taste great in almost anything. Also really easy to make – water, sugar, white vinegar, and onions! Store them in a jar, and they can keep for up to a month. Aside from this dish, you can eat them in sandwiches, burgers, or just by itself!

pickled red onions

Did you make this Vietnamese Shaking Beef?

If you made this dish, I would love to see!

Follow Cooking Therapy on Instagram, snap a photo, and tag and hashtag it with @cooking__therapy and #beccascookingtherapy.

Stay connected and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all my latest recipes.

vietnamese shaking beef

Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)

This is a easy recipe for a Vietnamese dish called Bo Luc Lac and Vietnamese Shaking Beef. It is marinated in Vietnamese flavors served with lettuce, pickled red onions, and tomatoes.
5 from 6 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 5 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine Vietnamese
Servings 4 people
Calories 543 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce
  • 2 tsp oyster sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp sake optional
  • 2 lb ribeye steak 1 inch cubes
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp granulated sugar
  • 1/2 red onion thinly sliced
  • 1 head lettuce
  • 2 tomatoes

Instructions
 

  • Add the garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, black soy sauce, pepper, and sake into a large bowl. Whisk together until combined. Add the steak to the bowl and coat with the marinade. Set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Make the pickled red onions. Mix together the water, rice wine vinegar, and sugar in a small bowl. Add in the red onion and set aside.
  • Cook the steak after marinating for 30 minutes. First, heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok or large pan over high heat. Make sure it coats the entire bottom of the pan. Add in the steak.
  • Cook the steak for about 2 minutes per side until you get a brown sear on all sides. You are aiming for medium rare to medium.
  • Once the steak done cooking, serve over a bed of lettuce with pickled red onions and sliced tomatoes.

Notes

You will have pickled red onions left over. Use them in a sandwich, burgers, or salads.

Nutrition

Calories: 543kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 48gFat: 32gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 825mgPotassium: 995mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1223IUVitamin C: 14mgCalcium: 54mgIron: 5mg
Keyword bo luc lac, Vietnamese shaking beef
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
If you love this post, share it!
  •  
  •  
  • 713
  •  
  •  
  •  
  •  

Vietnamese Recipes, Weeknight Meals beef, brown sugar, fish sauce, lettuce, red onions, soy sauce, tomatoes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. AvatarEmily says

    November 5, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    Omg! i am def gonna try this yum 😀

    Reply
    • BeccaBecca says

      November 5, 2019 at 5:50 pm

      Thank you Emily! Let me know if you have any questions!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me


Hello I'm Becca! I believe any day can be made better with a bowl of noodle soup. Here you will find recipes from my Chinese/Vietnamese heritage and stories from my experience living here in beautiful LA. Grab a drink and stay awhile! Read More

Never Miss A Post!

Subscribe to get monthly doses of cooking inspiration and foodie goodness in our inbox.

Soups for the season

vietnamese chicken tomato soup

Vietnamese Chicken Tomato Soup

canh chua

Vietnamese Sweet & Sour Soup (Canh Chua)

Korean braised short ribs

Korean Inspired Braised Short Ribs

chicken congee

Chicken Congee

banh canh cua

Banh Canh Cua (Vietnamese Crab & Shrimp Tapioca Noodle Soup)

Search

FeedFeed

Footer

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Privacy Policy · Terms & Conditions · All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2021 · Cooking Therapy