Bò Lúc Lắc (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)
Garlicky, oyster-sauce-glazed beef cubes seared in a smoking pan and shaken until caramelised, served on watercress and tomato with a lime, salt and pepper dip.
Method
Cut the beef into 2.5 cm cubes and pat dry with kitchen paper. In a bowl, mix half the minced garlic with the oyster sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, sugar, part of the pepper and a little oil. Toss the beef in it and marinate at room temperature for (refrigerate if it will be longer than 30 minutes).
Add in this stepBeef sirloin or rump steak 300 gGarlic cloves 2Oyster sauce 1 tbspSoy sauce 2 tspFish sauce 1 tspSugar 1 tspCoarsely ground black pepper ½ tspNeutral oil ½ tbsp
Meanwhile, cut the red onion and bell pepper into 2.5 cm squares and slice the tomato into thin wedges. Wash and shake dry the watercress or lettuce and spread it over a serving plate.
Dipping sauce (muối tiêu chanh): put the salt and remaining pepper in a small dish and squeeze in the lime juice just before serving.
Add in this stepLime 1Salt ½ tspCoarsely ground black pepper ¼ tsp
Heat a 26 cm cast-iron pan or wok on high heat for , then add most of the oil. When the oil just starts to smoke, you're ready. The pan must be really hot so the beef browns at once instead of releasing water.
Add in this stepNeutral oil 1½ tbsp
high heatSpread the beef in a single layer and leave it untouched for 1 minute. Then shake the pan back and forth (that's the 'lúc lắc', the shaking) to roll the cubes, cooking on high heat for per batch, in 1 batch(es). When the outside is deep brown and the inside still pink (medium-rare), lift it onto a plate.
high heatAdd the remaining oil to the same pan and stir-fry the onion and pepper on high heat for . Add the rest of the garlic and the butter; when the butter foams, return the beef and its juices and shake the pan for to coat everything.
Add in this stepNeutral oil ½ tbspRed onion ½Red bell pepper ½Garlic cloves 2Butter 1 tbsp
high heatPile the beef over the greens and arrange the tomato around it. Dip each piece in the lime, salt and pepper sauce and eat with the watercress. It's wonderful with steamed rice.
Add in this stepWatercress or lettuce 60 gTomato 1
Cook's tip
The most common mistake is crowding the pan: the temperature drops and the beef stews. Cook in batches. Fillet is even more tender than sirloin; for well-done beef, shake for an extra minute per batch.
Cooking it at camp
On a camping stove or over charcoal, a smoking-hot cast-iron pan does exactly the same job. Marinate the beef at home, carry it in a zip bag in the cooler, and cook well away from the tent because it smokes.