Some Vietnamese foods have been poorly translated into English, and thit bo luc lac is one of them. Thit bo means beef and luc lac refers to how you have to shake the skillet or wok to cook the small pieces of meat. For years, my husband expected the meat to quiver and I assured him that the dish wasn't all that dramatic. It's had its usefulness at crossover Vietnamese restaurant menus where it's presented as the meaty option for steak lovers. Let's just say it's become downright popular, despite it not being part of many Vietnamese home cook's repertoire. It's actually a celebratory dish.
In general, Vietnamese people, like many other Asian people, don't eat large piece of meat unless they're cut into small pieces. We just traditionally didn't (and people still don't) have enough meat for things like roast beef. And, if you slice anything up, it will feed people on biblical proportions! In the case of thit bo luc lac, named after the back and forth shaking of the skillet as you sear the cubes of beef, was likely a clever dish invented to deal with tough cuts of steak. Many Vietnamese restaurants in America prepare this dish with super tender, expensive fillet but it's rather hard to find such a splendid preparation in Vietnam. And the beef you get in Vietnam is likely to be tough and from an animal that's walked plenty of miles and eaten lots of grass, not grain. The meat will have some good chew and flavor. It's not for those with weak teeth.
Abroad we have lots of good tender, flavorful beef for tasty renditions of this dish without having to spend tons of money. When I prepare "shaking" beef, I use my favorite inexpensive cut of beef -- trip tip (bottom sirloin, cullotte steak) and have the butcher select marbly pieces. At my local grocery store, Shopper's Corner, I typically pay about$6/pound for the steaks. Once home, I trim off most of the excess fat before cutting the beef into cubes.
With its peppery bite, the watercress is a great contrast to the beef. Coating the watercress in a light dressing and then putting the hot beef over the top, the cress wilts ever so slightly and the beef juices and dressing blend together into a tangy sauce that's great spooned over rice. This is a pretty easy dish to whip up from readily available ingredients.
Wok-seared "Shaking" Beef
Thit Bo Luc Lac
Use both the light and dark soy sauces if you want a little extra deep color. Feel free to dress up the final platter with some tomato wedges. If serving without the watercress, opt to present the beef with a side of salt, pepper, lime dipping sauce (muoi tieu chanh) for guests to dip the cubes in.
Serves 4 with 2 or 3 other dishes
1 ¼ pound tri-tip (bottom sirloin/culotte) steaks
Marinade:
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon light (regular) soy sauce, or 2 teaspoons light (regular) and 1 teaspoon dark (thick) soy sauce
Dressing:
1 shallot, thinly sliced (¼ cup total)
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
1 or 2 pinches salt
3 to 5 cracks black pepper
1 ½ tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons water
4 cups watercress, use only the tender leafy parts
2 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
1. Trim excess fat from the steaks and then cut each into ¾-inch cubes. In a bowl, combine the pepper, sugar, garlic, oyster sauce, fish sauce and soy sauce. Add the beef and toss well to coat. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.
2. For the dressing, put the shallot in a mesh strainer and rinse under water for about 10 seconds to reduce some of the harshness. In large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar and water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the shallot. Put the watercress on top but hold off on tossing.
3. Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the beef and spread it out in one layer. Cook in batches, if necessary. Let the beef sear for about 1 minute, before shaking the wok or skillet to sear another side. Cook for another 30 seconds or so and shake. Cook the beef this way for about 4 minutes total, until nicely browned and medium rare.
In between shakes, toss the watercress and transfer onto a platter or serving dish. When the beef is done, pile the beef on top of the watercress and serve immediately with lots of rice.
Nate says
I love this dish! The version at Thien Long Restaurant on Silver Creek Rd at Lexann Ave in the Evergreen neighborhood is excellent. The menu says it's "filet mignon" but I don't know what cut it is - it's mighty tender though! They serve it with "tomato rice" that is just awesome. Do you have a recipe for this "tomato rice"?
Andrea Nguyen says
Nate, I'll attack tomato rice soon...! Thanks for the tip.
Simon Bao says
Andrea, I've also seen those recipes that call for using beef tenderloin (filet) for Bo Luc Lac. I thought, that's unfair both to the beef, and to the dish.
I confess I do not know what a culotte steak is. I probably use them and don't know it. I have often eaten Bo Luc Lac made with beef eye round, which is perhaps too lean and not very tender - but it's still quite good. Surely brings that "chew" you mention. For myself, I like to use what's just labeled "sirloin steak," which I'm told is
Michelle says
This is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes! My husband and I love to savor the sauce. I look forward to the tomato rice recipe!
Joel says
Andrea, it does look a little like a common fare served in Hong Kong's Vietnamese restaurants of diced steak with black pepper (bo xao hat tieu den - hopefully I got the spellings correct as I don't speak Vietnamese and I copied this from a HK Vietnamese cookbook, Enjoy Vietnamese Cooking, by Wilson Kwok). The recipe explicitly calls for fillet. Sadly, I have never encountered any good or even passable versions in New Zealand.
There is also a dish with the same name prepared by the Golden Bull
Andrea Nguyen says
I have to get a copy of Kwok's book. I didn't run across it when I was in HK last. Shaking beef isn't a big-deal dish. Frankly, we made it just once or twice when I was growing up. Pan-seared steaks were more to our liking. Of course, we sliced the steaks up before serving so we could pick it up with chopsticks!
linh says
Michelle,
That phrase is correct. Basically it means stir fried beef with black pepper.
Tina says
A wonderful recipe! It tastes just like how the Vietnamese and Cambodian restaurants make it!
Andrea Nguyen says
Tina, Glad to know it's 'authentic.'
Edward Doan says
Ca^'m on chi.! This is a fantastic recipe, and it really brought back childhood memories of enjoying my grandma's rendition of bo luc lac!
Roxane Chandler says
Also good...My husband's family sautes sliced red onion until soft before adding the beef to the skillet.
Thang says
I love this dish. Many restaurants in Cabramatta, Sydney serves this dish. It's a fav of many of my Australian friends too.
For places in Cabramatta to eat check out http://www.thangblog.com/2009/02/cabramattas-best-restaurants.html
Lana says
how many people does this recipe serve??
Andrea Nguyen says
Lana -- Duh, I forgot to put up the yield. It serves 4 with 2 or 3 other dishes.
Acai Optimum Plan says
I just made this tonight and it was delicious! Thanks for this recipe. You can't beat how easy it is, plus it tastes great.
Thanks again!
CR CONDOS says
Ohhhh, how can i say about the good kitchen!? it's the best of the best!!!!!!!
Love the red ones, the white ones, the green ones and even the black ones!!!!
I Love The Kitchens!!!!!!!!
foreplay techniques says
thanks for the recipe! long time since I was looking for! note to prepare and share with my family! it is delicious!
Tom@roadsidecottagerecipes says
The marinade really makes this dish in my opinion. A combination of oyster sauce and fish sauce really brings out the flavour of the beef. There's some great recipes on this site. Many thanks
Acai Berry Diet says
WOW! I have got a delicious food item.Really love it.
Sean says
I was searching for something really different to do with beef and am I glad I stumbled across this recipe. This dish was very simple to prepare and very pleasing to the palate! I'm adding it to my favorites.
Best Lip Plumper says
Hi there, just want to say thanks for the recipe it looks really yummy i will have to try cook this although im unsure where to find the "unseasoned rice vinegar" is this just in the supermarket? I have also bookmarked this site so i can get more recipes and ideas of meals. Thanks
aaa designer handbags says
This is the best thing for me! I also want to create a frame wall, which can lead my memory, in my home.
hanging pot racks says
Thanks for this recipe, I'm going to try making this sometime next month.
louis says
I think its a pretty good idea not that there aren't other sites out there that already do something similar but I think it might catch on here pretty well.
cast iron wok says
Look at the picture.. Look delicious.
There is also a dish with the same name prepared by the Golden Bull in HK, but is more like a Vietnamese presentation of the classical French dish of steak with black pepper sauce.
The pepper sauce is French, and steak is done to medium before added back to the pan with sauce for finishings. It was my favourite Vietnamese-influenced dishes otehr than pho when I was a boy in Hong Kong.
Christmas gift says
wow all those garments are so amazing and fabulous I don't come to your blog as often as I would like, but whenever I do I see some really amazing things keep up the good work! =)
acai berry diet says
This Vietnamese beef look amazing. I will try this at my home and I hope mine will look like yours.
recipes says
I enjoy reading this helpful site! Look at that interesting information about http://www.flashnews-online.com/category/general-knowledge - general knowledge and http://www.flashnews-online.com/category/news - news See You!
cooker says
unusual and surprisingly easy and tastes great
treatment of piles says
This is a great article. Wow, so many of these things I never thought of before. I often read posts, even on this site, and I think they are great, but I don’t take the time to leave a comment. I’m going to start leaving more comments for sure.
Geaffaddirway says
You can start your own business, and work for yourself, with your own truck & heavy equipment washing service business. Trucks, and the trucking business, are the back bone of the United States. Without trucks, everything comes to a stop. Most trucks are driven, hundreds of thousands of miles, each, as they are usually on the road driving most of the time. Trucks are used for hauling, and usually have expensive advertising on the sides, and they like to keep it clean looking. Because there are l
Lifecell Reviews says
Beautiful dish, i will cook this weekend for my Dads birthday.
Thanks you for sharing
emery cat says
I eat beef alot and this recipe wasnt bad but i have seen better.
UGGs On Sale says
The discussion an on going discussion and analysis of the moral the fact that this is so ought to be an embarrassment to white liberals who are die. Thanks for sharing informative post.
Warm Canada Goose says
Words may be false and full of arts ,sighs are the natural language of the heart.
Beats by Dre says
Do not speak of your happiness to one less fortunate than yourself.
Soft Restaurant - Horeca manager says
Oferim solutii software pentru industria Horeca.Soft pentru Restaurant,Bar,Fast food,Club. AB Soft Timsoara, HORECA MANAGER este o solutie software care permite urmarirea, controlul si reglarea activitatilor din firma dumneavoastra prin controlarea de la vanzare la materii prime in timp real. Softul a fost dezvoltat pentru a veni in intampinarea nevoilor aparute in desfasurarea activitatii intr-o locatie HORECA, astfel prin utilizarea monitorului cu TOUCH SCREEN de catre angajati, dumneavoastra
gio xach says
Thanks for explaining the “shaking” thing. I always wondered where that term came from, I just figured it was poorly translated or something. I will give it a go when my budget allows for grass fed beef sirloin. Have you ever seen it done with tenderloin? There’s a restaurant here in Portland that does it with tenderloin. Wonder if that would work? Vietnamese is my VERY favorite cuisine. In fact, Pho is my comfort food! This recipe looks and sounds outstanding–I cannot wait to give it a
marlon says
Thanks for this recipe, I'm going to try making this sometime next month.
Mr. Cooking Grill says
a very good post by a great author only some people have the ability to write like this way.
Mike says
When you take pictures how do you make the food look so appealing? Tell us your secret.
Helen Nguyen says
Thanks for the wonderful recipe! My fiance loved it. I also added onions to the meat and marinade and it turned out perfect!!! 🙂
masterprediksi.org says
I do not even understand how I finished up here, however I believed this publish was once good.
I don't know who you're but certainly you're going to a famous blogger in the
event you aren't already. Cheers!
Andrea Nguyen says
The universe works in mysterious ways. Welcome!
solarwinds dpa says
Excellent post. I will be dealling with many of tbese issues
as well..