Ultra tender and succulent, Bò Lúc Lắc is your answer to an incredibly EASY weeknight dinner! Serve vibrant Vietnamese flavors at your table with these wicked garlic-infused beef cubes. It works brilliantly in a salad, with tomato rice or noodles!
For an even easier version, try our Vietnamese Beef Salad!
A regular restaurant request
When I was a child, Saturday lunches with the family meant one thing – my parents would order one bowl of Phở each while my brother would ask for his all time favorite dish, Bò Lúc Lắc with a side of Tomato Rice.
Younger me would have glanced over at his steaming hot Vietnamese Shaking Beef plate and wondered how on Earth he would finish such a large portion.
But as we both started to grow up, I then started wondering if it one serving was actually enough!
That’s why these days, we prefer our homemade version. When it’s made at home, you can be a little more generous on the beef, right? It’s also one of the few dishes that tastes AMAZING as leftovers.
Seriously, how often can you get gorgeously plump beef cubes glistening in a bubbling soy glaze? Let me tell you – as often as you make this Bò Lúc Lắc recipe!
The beef comes out of the wok bursting – and yes, I mean BURSTING – with luscious juices sealed deep inside from searing. One bite and that explosion will rock your world.
You have just got to try it to see what I mean!
What kind of beef is best for stir-frying?
When it comes to stir frying beef, what you need to look for is a cut that can withstand high heat and still remain tender even after cooking. We used eye fillet for our Vietnamese Shaking Beef, but other options include:
- Tenderloin
- Sirloin
- T-Bone (with the bone removed)
- Rump
- Oyster Blade
- Blade
- Flank
- Inside or outside skirt
As long as the meat is marinated with sauces, any of these cuts will yield a deliciously juicy bite!
Why this recipe works
- Marinating Bò Lúc Lắc with finely chopped garlic adds an aromatic kick that can’t be achieved by sauces alone.
- The oyster sauce gives the dish a glossy coating that’s full of flavor.
- Using Maggi soy sauce keeps the seasoning iconically Vietnamese.
What you’ll need
Ingredient Modifications
While our homemade Vietnamese Shaking Beef recipe uses regular cooking oil, you can add extra richness by substituting it with unsalted butter. Some recipes also add bell peppers/capsicum for more flavor variety.
How to make this recipe
Remove any tendon or silverside attached by lifting it with your fingers and making a small slice using a sharp knife. You’re aiming to separate the meat with the tendon or silverside.
Flip the beef over and gently pull at the part of the tendon or silverside that was just cut and push the blade in the opposite direction to remove it from the meat.
Tip: Keep the knife close to the chopping board for a clean removal.
Cube the meat into roughly 2cm x 2cm (0.8″ x 0.8″) cubes. Make sure to cut against the grain to avoid having tough pieces.
Note: ‘Cutting against the grain’ means finding the direction the flesh is going and turning your knife perpendicular to that to make a cut.
Marinate the cubes with the garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, pepper, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, oil and sesame oil for a minimum of 20 minutes.
Pour 4 tbsp cooking oil into a heated wok on medium heat and fry the onions, red shallots and garlic for 30 seconds.
Turn the heat to high and pour the marinated beef cubes in. Stir for 5 minutes or until cooked to your preferred doneness.
Tip: Divide the cooking into 4-5 batches so the wok isn’t overcrowded.
Plate and serve the Bò Lúc Lắc immediately with tomato rice, in a salad or as is!
FAQs
This all comes down to the way the meat is cooked. While bò is translates to ‘beef’, lúc lắc actually refers to the shaking action you use to cook the meat.
There could be a few reasons why this may be the case:
– The beef is overcooked. I suggest keeping it medium rare for a tender bite.
– There is still a lot of tendon and silverside attached to the meat. Follow the techniques in the steps above to remove as much of it as you can.
– The cut itself doesn’t suit this style of cooking. Some beef cuts (like brisket or short rib) are tougher and more suited to slow cooking rather than flash frying.
Keep the leftovers sealed in an airtight container and have it refrigerated for up to 3 days. I would suggest using clean utensils to scoop the meat and sauce out whenever you plan to eat it.
Tips for the best results
- Marinate overnight. For the deepest infused flavors in your Vietnamese Shaking Beef, this is an unmissable step.
- Keep the heat on high when cooking and cook to medium-rare. Using this technique helps to sear the sides and seal the juices in while keeping the cubes soft on the inside.
- Cook the cubes in smaller batches. If you dump all the meat in the wok, there may not be enough heat to sear all the sides and you’ll end up boiling everything instead!
What to serve it with
- Get your rice bowl ready to fill with perfectly cooked rice.
- For an extra flavor kick, drizzle your meal with Nước Mắm Vietnamese Dipping Sauce).
- Keep the fun going with our Fish Sauce Chicken Wings or Stuffed Chicken Wings!
- A Vietnamese Mango Salad or Cá Chiên Mắm Xoài (Fried Fish with Green Mango Salad) is the perfect way to add fresh aromatics to your dinner.
- Canh Khổ Qua (Stuffed Bittermelon Soup) or Sup Mang Cua (Crab and Asparagus Soup) will balance every dish.
- Take advantage of seasonal fruit and turn it into a refreshing Sinh Tố Bơ (Avocado Shake) or Sinh Tố Sầu Riêng (Durian Shake)!
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Bò Lúc Lắc (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 kg / 5.5 lb scotch fillet (or any cut you prefer)
- 1 onion (roughly cut)
- 1 red shallot (thinly sliced)
- 4 cloves garlic (finely chopped; used for marinade)
- 2 cloves garlic (finely chopped; used for stir fry)
- 2 tbsp cooking oil (for marinating)
- 4 tbsp cooking oil (for stir frying)
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 5 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce (or MAGGI soy sauce)
- 1 1/2 tbsp sugar (or to taste)
- 1 tsp salt (or to taste)
- 1 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Remove any tendon or silverside attached by lifting it with your fingers and making a small slice using a sharp knife. You're aiming to separate the meat with the tendon or silverside.
- Flip the beef over and gently pull at the part of the tendon or silverside that was just cut and push the blade in the opposite direction to remove it from the meat. Tip: Keep the knife close to the chopping board for a clean removal.
- Cube the meat into roughly 2cm x 2cm (0.8" x 0.8") cubes. Make sure to cut against the grain to avoid having tough pieces.Note: 'Cutting against the grain' means finding the direction the flesh is going and turning your knife perpendicular to that to make a cut.
- Marinate the cubes with the garlic, oyster sauce, soy sauce, pepper, chicken bouillon powder, sugar, salt, oil and sesame oil for a minimum of 20 minutes.
- Pour 4 tbsp cooking oil into a heated wok on medium heat and fry the onions, red shallots and garlic for 30 seconds.
- Turn the heat to high and pour the marinated beef cubes in. Stir for 5 minutes or until cooked to your preferred doneness.Tip: Divide the cooking into 4-5 batches so the wok isn't overcrowded.
- Plate and serve the Vietnamese Shaking Beef immediately!
Notes
- Marinate overnight. For the deepest infused flavors in your Vietnamese Shaking Beef, this is an unmissable step.
- Keep the heat on high when cooking and cook to medium-rare. This technique helps to sear the sides to seal the juices in while keeping the cubes soft on the inside.
- Cook the cubes in smaller batches. If you dump all the meat in the wok, there may not be enough heat to sear all the sides and you'll end up boiling everything instead.
- While this recipe uses regular cooking oil, you can add extra richness by substituting it with unsalted butter.
- Some recipes also add bell peppers/capsicum for more flavor variety.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on 29/09/20 and updated with new links in June 2023.
is there a recipe for the tomato rice?
It’s coming soon! 😉
This looks so delicious and tasty! I can’t wait to make this!
Thanks, Beth! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
I love how you infused so much flavor into this recipe!! It was so good!
Thanks, Anjali! Glad you liked it!
I love this dish! This reminds me of the same dish I had back when I still live in the Bay Area. Need to make this ASAP.
The best recipes remind us of something special 😉 I hope you get to recreate this one!
There is nothing better than an easy and most importantly delicious meal! All of these Vietnamese flavors are sure to be a hit in our house! Yum!
Agreed! Our family sure loves it!
A meaty and flavorful dish. My kids to love it. Looks delicious, soft and juicy. Very exciting to try this weekend.
I hope your kids love it as much as we do!
Definitely going to make this but I have a question?
Would it make the meat more tender if I added some corn starch to the marinade? Or would it be bad?
Love your recipes and your stories, thank you for everything!
Lydia
Hi, Lydia! Thank you for your support! You can certainly try adding corn starch to the marinade, but if you have a cut of beef that’s tender enough, it won’t need it 🙂 I haven’t personally tried it, so let me know how it goes if you do!