Bò Lúc Lắc (Vietnamese Shaking Beef)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb 680 g Beef sirloin, tenderloin, or ribeye, cut into approximately 1-inch / 2.5-cm cubes
• 3 cloves Garlic cloves, finely minced
• 1 tsp Granulated or light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp Neutral high-heat oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp Light soy sauce
• 2 tsp Fish sauce
• 1 tbsp Rice vinegar
• 2 tsp Light brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Water
• 1 tbsp Unsalted butter
• 1 small Red onion, cut into thin wedges
• 2 whole Scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
• as needed Neutral high-heat oil, for searing
• 3 cups Watercress or tender lettuce
• 1 medium Tomato, cut into wedges
• 1/2 whole English cucumber, sliced
• 1 1/2 tbsp Fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp Fine sea salt
• 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Trim any tough exterior tissue from the beef and cut into roughly 1-inch cubes.
2. Pat the cubes thoroughly dry.
3. Toss with garlic, sugar, salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon oil.
4. Marinate for approximately 20 minutes.
5. Whisk together soy sauce, fish sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar and water.
6. Arrange watercress, tomato and cucumber on a platter.
7. Mix lime juice, salt and pepper in a small dipping bowl.
8. Heat a wok or heavy cast-iron skillet over HIGH heat until very hot.
9. Add only enough oil to lightly coat the surface.
10. Sear beef IN BATCHES. Do not crowd the pan.
11. Allow the cubes to contact the hot surface long enough to develop browning, then shake or toss the pan so additional sides contact the heat. Cook approximately 2–3 minutes total per batch depending on beef size and desired doneness.
12. Transfer each browned batch to a plate.
13. When all beef is seared, add butter to the pan.
14. Add red onion and cook approximately 60–90 seconds so it softens slightly while retaining texture.
15. Add scallions.
16. Return beef to the pan.
17. Pour in the prepared sauce.
18. Toss or shake vigorously for approximately 30–60 seconds, just until the beef is glazed. Do not simmer the beef in sauce.
19. Immediately transfer over the prepared greens.
20. Serve with lime-pepper dipping salt.

Chef's Notes

OVERCROWDING: The biggest failure point is overcrowding. Crowded beef releases moisture and steams rather than developing the browned exterior that defines the dish. Use a genuinely hot pan, dry beef, small batches, and short cooking time. LIME-PEPPER SALT: The lime-salt-pepper mixture is intentionally simple and sharp. Do not replace it with generic sweet-chili sauce. SCALE NOTE: For larger quantities, REQUIRE additional batches. Do not overcrowd a wok simply because you selected 2×.

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