Traditional Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)
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.
How my shaking beef differs from others
Vietnamese shaking beef (Bo Luc Lac) 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.
Some details about key ingredients!
- Ribeye steak – Ribeye steak has great a proportion of fat on it which is why I like to use it for all my Vietnamese beef dishes like Nui Xao Bo or Bun Bo Xao. You can use any cut of steak for this recipe, but I would highly recommend one with some fat on it. The fat adds moisture and flavor to the meat. At restaurants, I’ve had Bo Luc Lac with filet mignon, which is a way to make this dish a little more fancy. Other options I’ve used or my mom has made for me are sirloin and strip steak.
- Black soy sauce – Black soy sauce helps give the beef a nice color on the outside. I would not skip out on this ingredient if possible. I’ve tested this with and without black soy sauce, and the beef cooked with black soy sauce looked WAY MORE appetizing. However 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.
How to make Vietnamese shaking beef or bo luc lac
Why high heat is important to making bo luc lac
It is so important you make this dish with high heat because using low heat will make the beef soggy and tough, and you don’t get a nice sear on the outside.
How do you eat bo luc lac?
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. Use my guide on how to pickle vegetables to help you make your red onions! All together it creates for an amazing combination of flavors. You can substitute white rice with quinoa, brown rice, or a baguette! I’ve definitely made a banh mi with shaking beef before, and it tastes amazing. I also like to have it with the occassional sweet potato!
Did you make this Vietnamese Shaking Beef?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Get the Recipe:
Traditional Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp light brown sugar, see note 1
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce, see note 2
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp sake, optional
- 2 lb ribeye steak, 1 inch cubes, see note 3
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar, see note 4
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced, divided, see note 5
- 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 half 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 1-3 minutes per side until you get a brown sear on all sides. You are aiming for medium rare to medium. You may cook for more or less time depending on how thick your steak is.
- Remove the steak from the heat. Add the rest of the onion to the pan and saute until soft (2-3 minutes).
- Once the steak is done cooking, serve over a bed of lettuce with pickled red onions and sliced tomatoes.
Notes
- Light brown sugar can be substituted with coconut sugar or dark brown sugar.
- Dark soy sauce can be substituted with regular soy sauce. For a gluten free substitute, use tamari.
- Ribeye steak can be substituted with sirloin steak, filet mignon, or strip steak.
- Rice wine vinegar can be substituted with distilled white vinegar.
- Red onion can be substituted with shallots and sweet yellow onion.
Omg! i am def gonna try this yum 😀
Thank you Emily! Let me know if you have any questions!