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Vietnamese

Bò lúc lắc (shaking beef)

Non-vegetarian

Bò lúc lắc

Cubes of tender steak seared hard in a very hot wok with garlic and a soy-oyster glaze, 'shaken' with onions and served on a lime-dressed watercress and tomato salad.

Bò lúc lắc (shaking beef) is a Vietnamese main course, ready in about 53 minutes and made with beef sirloin steak and watercress. It serves 3 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Shaking beef
Representative photo. Nick Nguyen / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-2.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
8 min
Rest
30 min
Total
53 min
Serves
3
Level
Intermediate
Calories
396

Ingredients

3 servings

For the beef

For the salad

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Toss the beef with half the garlic (opens in a new tab), the oyster sauce (opens in a new tab), soy sauce (opens in a new tab), fish sauce (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab), pepper (opens in a new tab) and 1 teaspoon of the oil. Marinate for 30 minutes (in the fridge if your kitchen is warm).

    • 5 min
    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Whisk the lime juice (opens in a new tab), sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt and toss with the watercress (opens in a new tab) and tomatoes (opens in a new tab) on a platter.

    • 5 min
    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the remaining oil in a wok (opens in a new tab) until smoking. Add the beef in a single layer and leave for 1 minute to sear, then shake the pan to turn the cubes and sear again.

    Cook in two batches if your wok is small.

    Ingredients tossed in a hot wok
    How it looks · Photo: Aesthos AR. Photography on Pexels

  4. Step 4

    Add the onion, the remaining garlic (opens in a new tab) and the butter (opens in a new tab) and shake for another minute until the beef is browned outside and pink inside. Pile onto the salad and serve with rice.

    • 2 min
    • high heat
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Vietnam · Commonly attributedIts butter and cubed steak are often linked to the French colonial period.Also popular in United StatesMore food from Vietnam
Dish
Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Stir-fried, Marinated / cured
Taste
savoury, peppery, garlicky, tangy
Diet
No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
With the listed swaps: Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pan
Cook more with
Beef sirloin steak · Watercress · Garlic · Oyster sauce · Soy sauce · Fish sauce
Techniques
Searing · Stir-frying · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains: Fishfrom fish sauce
  • May contain: Crustaceansfrom oyster sauce, fish sauce
  • Contains: Molluscsfrom oyster sauce
  • Contains: Wheatfrom oyster sauce, soy sauce
  • Contains: Glutenfrom oyster sauce, soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom oyster sauce, soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

396 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 367 g · recipe makes 3

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 40%
  • Carbohydrate 14%
  • Fat 46%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy396 kcal108 kcal
Protein39.8 g10.8 g
Carbohydrate13.6 g3.7 g
Net carbohydrate11.7 g3.2 g
Sugars7.1 g1.9 g
Added sugars——
Fibre1.9 g0.5 g
Fat20.3 g5.5 g
Saturated fat——
Trans fat——
Cholesterol111 mg30 mg
Sodium1050 mg286 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1005 mg
Calcium
119 mg
Iron
3.4 mg
Magnesium
69 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
122 µg
Vitamin C
32 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
—
Folate (DFE)
—

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: long-grain white rice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Pat the beef dry before marinating so it sears rather than steams.

Common mistakes

  • Crowding the wok — the beef stews and turns grey.

Serve with

  • Serve with a little dish of salt, pepper and lime juice (muối tiêu chanh) for dipping.

Food safety

  • Whole beef cubes seared on all sides can be served pink inside; refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 2 days.

Storage

  • Best eaten immediately.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the beef

Used in steps 1, 3, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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