Bo Luc Lac Recipe (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) (2024)

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Bo Luc Lac Recipe (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) (1)Today I want to share a very tasty BoLuc Lac - Vietnamese Shaking Beef recipe with you. This shaking beef is one of the most popular menu items that you would find at Vietnamese restaurants. It's loaded with sweet and savory flavors, yet, it's so easy to make. It's the perfect dish to make on special nights.

Bo Luc Lac Recipe (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) (2)
Jump to:
  • What is BoLuc Lac?
  • About This BoLuc Lac Recipe:
  • The Best Meat to Use for Vietnamese Shaking Beef
  • Bò Lúc Lắc Ingredients and Variations
  • How to Make Shaking Beef at Home:
  • Tips for Making a Good Stir Fry
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

What is BoLuc Lac?

Bò Lúc Lắc is a famous Vietnamese beef stir fry. In the Vietnamese language, bo means beef, and Lúc Lắc means shaken.

Shaking beef gets its name from the shaking and stirring technique used during cooking.

This special technique helps developevenly browning on all sides of the meat while keeping it juicy on the inside. It also helps deglaze the pan.

This main dish contains stir-fried cubes of marinated beef and is served on a hot plate over fresh watercress with a bowl of rice.

About This BoLuc Lac Recipe:

This shaking beef recipe requires a short marinating process to enhance the flavor. In addition, letting the meat sit at room temperature before cooking will produce juicier and more evenly cooked meat.

After marinating for 30 minutes. you should cook the meat on high heat for a short period of time, then stir-fry the remaining ingredients in the sauce.

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The Best Meat to Use for Vietnamese Shaking Beef

You may use any type of tender beef cut to make shaking beef. Expensive beef fillets such as rib-eye will be extremely tasty, but a cheaper cutlike flank steak or sirloin strip will also taste great.

Here are some tender beef cuts that can be cut and used in stir fry recipes: sirloin, ribeye, top loin, tenderloin, shoulder top blade (flat iron, or shoulder center (Ranch steak).

Don't buy pre-cut stir fry meat. I highly recommend buying the beef in bulk so you can then cut the beef yourself and save money.

Bo Luc Lac Recipe (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) (4)

Bò Lúc Lắc Ingredients and Variations

To make shaking beef at home, you will need beef, diced red bell pepper, diced yellow onion, oyster sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce, black pepper, and fresh watercress.

Fish Sauce: If it's not available in your pantry, you can use soy sauce instead of fish sauce (2:1 ratio).

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How to Make Shaking Beef at Home:

Step 1. Make the Marinade Sauce

In a small bowl, mix sugar, fish sauce, low-sodium soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and oyster sauce. Stir to combine. Reserve about 1 tablespoon of marinade sauce for stir fry.

Step 2. Marinate the Beef Cubes

In a large bowl, add beef cubes, minced garlic, and marinade sauce. Stir to combine. Marinate the meat for 30 minutes at room temperature.

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Step 3. Sear the Beef

In a large wok, heat about ½cup of oil over high heat until beginning to smoke.

Cook half of the marinated beef until slightly charred on all sides and medium-rare inside for about 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and set aside.

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Step 4. Cook the Vegetables

  • In a clean wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat until beginning to smoke. Add diced yellow onion, cook, and keep stirring for 1 minute.
  • Cook diced red bell pepper and keep stirring for 1 minute.
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  • Add the seared beef and 1 tablespoon of marinade sauce. Cook and stirring constantly, until the sauce has thickened for about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook the meat.
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Tips for Making a Good Stir Fry

Tips #1. Prepare All the Ingredients

Stir-frying is a quick process so you need your ingredients close-at-hand and ready to go. It's therefore important to set out all of your ingredients before you turn on the heat, in order to prevent burning or over cooking.

Tips #2. Marinade the Meat

Most cuts ofbeefbenefit from beingmarinated. A marinade adds flavor and helps tenderize the meat.

Tips #3. Remove Excess Water from Ingredients

Make sure that you pat vegetables or meat dry before adding them into a wok.

Tips #3. Pick the Right Skillet

If you don't have a wok you can use a cast-iron skillet instead. A cast-iron skillet canretain just as much heat as a wok, which makes it a perfect substitution for wok.

Tips #4. Cook on High Heat

Cooking on high heat is crucial. Commercial ranges come with burners that generate heat levels much stronger than even the best home range.

Tips #5. Cook the Vegetables and Meat separately

Tips #6. Do Not Overcrowd the Pan

Choose the right size of skillet to do the job. Do not put too many ingredients in the wok to avoid steaming and uneven cooking.

If you need to double the recipe, cook in multiple batches.

Tips #6. Keep Stirring

Keep stirring the food to avoid burning and uneven cooking.

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FAQ and Cooking Tips:

How Long Does Leftover Beef Stir Fry Last in Fridge?

First, let the leftover Bò Lúc Lắc - Vietnamese Shaking Beef cool down before transferring it to an airtight container.
Properly stored, it will last 1-2 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

How Do You Reheat Beef Stir Fry?

You can reheat the leftover beef stir fry, covered with amicrowave-safe lid for up to 2 minutes in the microwave or on the stove over medium-low heat to avoid overcooking. It's important to reheat leftovers to 165°F.

What Cut of Beef is Best for Stir Fry?

You can use sirloin, ribeye, top loin, tenderloin, shoulder top blade (flat iron, or shoulder center (Ranch steak).

Check Out More Asian Recipes:

  • Char Kway Teow
  • Laksa Soup
  • Hunan Beef Cumin
  • Shrimp and Green Peas Stir Fry
  • Minced Pork Noodles Soup

📖 Recipe

4.83 from 35 votes

Bo Luc Lac

Rika

This shaking beef is one of the most popular menu items that you would find at Vietnamese restaurants. It's loaded with sweet and savory flavors, yet, it's so easy to make. It's the perfect dish to make on special nights.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Vietnamese

Servings 6

Calories 376 kcal

Ingredients

  • pound rib-eye or top sirloin steak , (trimmed, cut into 1½-inch cubes, and pat dry)
  • 1 cup diced red bell pepper
  • 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  • 1 cup diced yellow onion
  • ¾ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable, peanut, or canola oil

Marinade Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, (add more according to your liking)
  • ½ tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
  • ½ tablespoon fish sauce
  • 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon sugar, (use more or less sugar according to your liking)

For Serving:

  • fresh watercress

Instructions

  • In a small bowl, combine all the marinade sauce ingredients. Reserve 1 tablespoon of marinade sauce for stir fry.

  • In a large bowl, add beef cubes, garlic, black pepper, and marinade sauce. Stir to combine and marinate for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.

  • In a large wok or cast-iron, heat ½ cup of oil over high heat until beginning to smoke. Working in multiple batches, cook the beef until slightly charred on all sides and medium-rare inside for about 1 minute.

    Transfer the seared beef to a plate.

  • In a clean wok, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over high heat. Add yellow onion, cook, and, keep stirring for about 1 minute. Add red bell pepper, cook, and keep stirring until tender and slightly charred for about 1 minute.

    Add seared beef and 1 tablespoon of marinade sauce. Cook and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened and starts to caramelize for about 3-5 minutes. Do not overcook the meat.

    Taste the meat, adjust the seasoning with extra oyster sauce or salt if needed.

  • Arrange the shaking beef on the bed of watercress. Serve and enjoy with white rice.

Video

Notes

Fish Sauce Please note that not all fish sauce products are created equal and they usually have different sodium levels.

To add saltiness to the dish, just add a small amount of salt.Do not go overboard with fish sauce or all you’ll taste is fish sauce.

You can purchase fish sauce at any Asian grocer or Target, Kroger/Ralphs, Vons, and Amazon.com

How to Store the Leftover First, let the leftover Bò Lúc Lắc - Vietnamese Shaking Beef cool down before transferring it to an airtight container.
Properly stored, it will last 1-2 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Nutrition

Calories: 376kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 28gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 81mgSodium: 651mgPotassium: 481mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 800IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 26mgIron: 3mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Bo Luc Lac Recipe (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) (2024)

FAQs

What is Bo Luc Lac made of? ›

If you love beef, you'll looove this Bo Luc Lac (Vietnamese Shaking Beef) recipe. Chunks of beef tenderloin, browned and coated with a sweet, salty, tangy and buttery glaze, complemented with a lime and pepper dipping sauce. Vietnamese Shaking Beef (Bò Lúc Lắc) is my favorite Asian beef dish.

Why is it called Vietnamese shaking beef? ›

Lúc Lắc means to shake in Vietnamese. The dish got its name from the constant shaking of the wok that's needed to get a nice crust on each individual steak cube. The wok-seared beef is served on a bed of lettuce, watercress, tomato and/or cucumbers, and lime-salt-and-pepper dipping sauce on the side.

What is Vietnamese beef dish called? ›

Also known as "Bo Luc Lac", this Vietnamese dish features tender beef cubes that are marinated and stir-fried with garlic, onions, and tomatoes. Served with a side of rice, this flavorful dish is sure to become a new favorite.

What is shaken beef called? ›

Shaking beef or bo luc lac (Vietnamese: bò lúc lắc, French: bœuf lôc lac) is a Vietnamese dish that consists of beef sauteed with cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, pepper, and soy sauce. The beef is cut into small cubes the size of playing dice (hột lúc lắc) before being sauteed.

Is Luc Lac Cambodian or Vietnamese? ›

There are two variations, Luk Lac which is the Cambodian version and Bo Luc Lak, a Vietnamese version. In Vietnamese Bo means beef and luc lac means shaking, it is cooked in a wok so this is also known as shaking beef.

What is the history of bò lúc lắc? ›

More exotic, if we can say, it is also said that the Bo Luc kac was created by French in Vietnam during the colonial period. Others think it is a dish of Chinese origin, introduced in Vietnam by Chinese traders. It is likely that this typical vietnamese dish was influenced by French and Chinese cuisines.

What is Vietnamese hangover food? ›

Yes, it is a perfect hangover cure because it boosts your immune system and Pho is a portion of traditional Vietnamese street food and has the same magic ingredient as chicken soup but includes more herbs and spices to naturally boost your immune system, and speed up your body's recovery time.

What is the most popular Vietnamese dish? ›

Pho. The comforting noodle soup of pho is known around the world as one of the best Vietnamese dishes. This traditional soup is found almost anywhere in the country and is a prime example of culinary beauty in simplicity.

What is the Vietnamese dish with blood? ›

Tiết canh is a Vietnamese dish of raw blood pudding served with cooked meat in Northern Vietnam. Pork and duck are the most common animal used to create this raw blood pudding. The most popular is tiết canh vịt, made from freshly killed duck blood, pork and chicken.

How many calories is a bow of pho? ›

How many calories are in a bowl of pho? A medium-sized bowl of pho contains about 350-450 calories on average, according to a report from The Times-Picayune. That's about 20% of your daily allotment if you're eating 2,000 calories a day.

How many calories are in Pho Rau? ›

Lian Vietnamese Style Pho Rau Rice Noodles (1 serving) contains 51g total carbs, 51g net carbs, 2.7g fat, 4.7g protein, and 248 calories.

How many calories are in Vietnamese charbroiled beef? ›

Results for "Vietnamese Grilled Beef (Bo Nuong)"

Other sizes: 1 serving - 176kcal, 100 g - 72kcal, 1 oz - 20kcal, more...

Where does Bo Luc Lac come from? ›

Bo Luc Lac is a typical Vietnamese meal that consists of marinated and sautéed beef, served with raw vegetables and white rice. It is very popular in Vietnam, where its name literally means "shaken beef", in reference to the cooking technique of shaking the meat in the pan.

What is Pho Bo made of? ›

Savor the wonderful flavors of Vietnam with this traditional beef pho recipe. This Southern-style variation of beef pho features flat rice noodles with tender beef slices in an aromatic and hearty beef broth, all complemented by fresh herbs and customizable toppings.

What sauce for Wagyu beef? ›

Rich sauces that are heavy in cream or butter work well with Wagyu beef. The fat content of the steak can handle the richness, and the sauce's creaminess creates a luxurious and satisfying experience. A classic French b?? arnaise sauce is a perfect example of a rich sauce that pairs well with Wagyu beef.

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