Another Vietnamese meal this week! I think I’ve well and truly satisfied my cravings by this stage. Needless to say, I’m also feeling very bloated from all the festive eating. I think another vegan week is in order. But first, let me present to you: Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef), another popular Vietnamese dish. No, the beef doesn’t come quivering on the plate but rather the shaking here refers to the act of shaking the pan to toss the beef back and forth in order to sear all sides. Lost in translation or not, this is still a great dish that is quick and simple, while showcasing a harmony of Asian flavours.

There are a few ways of serving Bo Luc Lac. Some present this as a steak salad. But to me, it should be served with tomato rice as we often see in various Vietnamese restaurants. After comparing a few recipes online this is my ‘interpretation’ of the dish. Basically a combination of the steak salad served with tomato rice.

Serves 2

Shaking Beef (adapted from RasaMalaysia, recipe by Ravenous Couple)

1 beef sirloin steak cut into 1 inch cubes
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

Marinate beef with above ingredients for at least 1 hour.

Heat the pan/wok with 1 tablespoon of oil. When it starts to smoke add the beef and allow to sear for 1 minute, then ‘shaking’ the pan to brown the other sides (of course you can also use the spatula but it’s not called shaking beef for no reason!). To cook it medium well you only need to cook all sides for around 1 minute each. Dish out and serve.

Pickled Onions
Slice about 1/3 of onion thinly, then marinate in 3 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 teaspoon each of sugar and salt for 10-15mins.

Tomato Rice
1 1/2 cup overnight cooked rice
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 egg, beaten
1 clove of garlic, minced

Heat oil in pan and fry the egg first then set aside.
Fry garlic til fragrant and add the rice and omelette. Break up the omelette in small pieces. Mix the tomato paste in well. Add more tomato paste if you prefer it richer.

To plate, arrange a bed of raw watercress, put the onion slices and drizzle with some of the pickle juice and lastly the beef. The heat will wilt the watercress slightly, which is what we want. Spoon the tomato rice into a bowl and the  turn it out on the plate carefully. Garnish with some tomato slices. Squeeze a little lime juice over the beef to lift the dish.

An enticing and nutritiously balanced dish made in under 30 minutes. Perfect!