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Shaking beef is an authentic Vietnamese recipe with tender beef in savory sauce. This easy shaking beef recipe (bo luc lac) takes 10 mins to make and tastes just like Vietnamese restaurants!
Vietnamese Shaking Beef Bo Luc Lac
What is shaking beef?
Shaking beef recipe is one of my favorite Vietnamese recipes.
It’s an easy beef recipe of tender and juicy beef cubes coated with shaking beef sauce.
This dish is called Bo Luc Lac in Vietnamese language which literally means beef shake.
Bo means beef or cow in Vietnamese language and “luc lac” means shaking and tossing the beef back and forth in a wok during the cooking process.
Ingredients For Bo Luc Lac
This is homemade, authentic and the best recipe, contributed by Ravenous Couple.
The recipe calls for the following ingredients:
- Beef sirloin.
- Garlic.
- Shaking beef sauce made of fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil.
- Dipping sauce made of lime juice, kosher salt and black pepper.
- Red onion, watercress and tomatoes as vegetable sides.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients.
How To Make Shaking Beef
To make this Vietnamese beef dish at home, first, you combine garlic, fish sauce, oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil together.
Marinate the beef with the sauce.
Next, heat a wok and sear and cook the beef until both sides turn brown. Shake and toss the wok while cooking the beef.
How To Serve Shaking Beef
There are many ways to serve this dish.
Some restaurants serve it with sauteed onions, lettuce and rice (white or tomato rice).
Other restaurants may present it like a steak salad served on a bed of watercress and tomatoes, topped with pickled onions.
There is a dipping sauce and it can be a combination of lime juice, salt and ground black pepper or a soy- chili sauce.
Regardless of how you serve bo luc lac, it’s an easy and delicious dish to make for dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any cut of steak you like, for example, filet mignon, rib eye or sirloin.
Yes, you sure can.
You can use the Saute Mode of Instant Pot to cook the beef. There is no need to pressure cook as the beef is cut into 1-inch cubes.
This recipe is 387 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Shaking Beef
Serve this dish with steamed rice or noodles. For a healthy Vietnamese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes.
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Other Vietnamese Recipes You Might Like
Shaking Beef
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. (750g) beef sirloin, cut into 1" (2.5cm) cubes
- 1 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
Shaking Beef Sauce and Marinade:
- 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sweet soy sauce, kecap manis or Maggie Seasoning
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
Vinaigrette:
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/2 tablespoon salt
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
Vegetable Sides:
- 2 bunches watercress, long stems trimmed
- 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
Shaking Beef Dipping Sauce:
- 1 lime, sliced into halves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients for the Shaking Beef Sauce and marinade with the beef. Marinate for 30 minutes, or preferably 1 to 2 hours.
- Prepare the vinaigrette by mixing the rice vinegar with salt and sugar. It should have a balance of sour, salty, and sweet.
- Use 3–4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette to pickle the red onions. Set aside, covered, in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Arrange the watercress and tomatoes on a serving platter and set aside.
- Heat a wok, pan, or skillet over high heat. Add the cooking oil, and when it begins to smoke, add the beef cubes in an even layer. Allow to sear for about 2 minutes, then sear the opposite sides for another 1-2 minutes to brown all sides. Shake and toss the wok while cooking.
- Transfer the beef to the serving platter. Drizzle the remaining 3–4 tablespoons of vinaigrette over the beef, watercress, and tomatoes. Top the beef with the pickled red onions.
- In a small ramekin, make the Shaking Beef dipping sauce by squeezing lime juice over salt and black pepper. Serve the Shaking Beef immediately with the dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The first time I eat it, 5 years ago. At that time I had to learn how to cook. When I read your post, I want to cook again. Formula is nearly identical to what I had learned.
Thanks!
Thanks Dieu. I hope you like this recipe!
Just made this and it is by far my boyfriend and my favourite meal – EVER. I ate it with rice (mixed my rice in the leftover beef marinade juice). Thank you Bee for this amazing recipe!
I am a beginner cook. Used this recipe exactly. My husband said it was better than a restaurant. I used filet and I think the key is using a high quality meat! Thank you so much for posting !!
Look forward to trying this but I can’t use oyster sauce, should I substitute anything or just leave it out?
thanks
Yes but not as tasty
Bee, for this recipe, do you pre-tenderize the beef with the baking-soda treatment (as explained in your Easy Chinese Recipes book) ? Thanks!
You can but you don’t have to.
I made this tonight using this recipe and it was DELICIOUS! My boyfriend said it tasted exactly like the ones we get at the restaurant. Thanks! :)
Just made this. It was yummy!
When you say “thick soy sauce” does that mean kecap manis?
Dark soy sauce or kecap manis is fine.
wow, it looks so nice here :x
and in Hanoi, for this dish, we also add pineapple and paprika (bell pepper
they will make “bo luc lac” more delicious :)
Just made this tonight and it was delicious!! Thanks for the great recipe.