Bò Lúc Lắc (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

Ultra tender and succulent, Bò Lúc Lắc is your answer to an incredibly EASY weeknight dinner! Serve vibrant Vietnamese flavors at your table with its wickedly savory garlic-infused beef juices. It works brilliantly in a salad, with 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 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!

Which beef cut do I use?

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 Bò Lúc Lắc, 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 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.

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 hot immediately!

FAQs

Tips for the best results

• Marinate overnight. For the deepest infused flavors in your Bò Lúc Lắc, 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!

• For an extra flavor kick, drizzle your meal with Vietnamese Dipping Sauce (Nước Mắm).
• Keep the fun going with our Fish Sauce Chicken Wings or Stuffed Chicken Wings!
• A Vietnamese Mango Salad is the perfect way to add fresh aromatics to your dinner.
• Stuffed Bittermelon Soup (Canh Khổ Qua) or Sup Mang Cua (Vietnamese Crab and Asparagus Soup) will balance every dish.
• Take advantage of seasonal fruit and turn it into a refreshing Avocado Smoothie (Sinh Tố Bơ)!

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