Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)

Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)
Michael Falco for The New York Times
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
5(397)
Comments
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Michael Bao Huynh, a former boat person who learned to cook by his mother's side at her restaurant in Saigon, served this dish at his restaurant BarBao on the Upper West Side. —Glenn Collins

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

    For the Marinade

    • 2pounds boneless beef sirloin, fillet, or rib eye, cut into 1-inch cubes
    • 10garlic cloves, minced
    • 1tablespoon Maggi seasoning or soy sauce
    • 1tablespoon sugar
    • 1teaspoon sea salt
    • Freshly ground black pepper

    For the Salad

    • 1medium red onion, cut into paper-thin strips
    • 7garlic cloves, minced
    • 2tablespoons sugar
    • ½teaspoon sea salt
    • ¼cup rice vinegar or cider vinegar
    • ¼cup extra virgin olive oil
    • Freshly ground black pepper
    • 1head bibb or Boston lettuce, cored, leaves torn into large pieces
    • 1cup shaved fennel bulb
    • 1cup baby arugula
    • ½cup mint leaves
    • 6cherry tomatoes, halved
    • 2tablespoons vegetable oil
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

854 calories; 66 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 3 grams trans fat; 36 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 45 grams protein; 975 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. For the Marinade

    1. Step 1

      In a bowl, combine beef, garlic, Maggi or soy sauce, sugar, salt and black pepper to taste. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.

  2. For the Salad

    1. Step 2

      In a large serving bowl, combine onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, sugar, salt, vinegar and olive oil. Mix well, and season with black pepper to taste. Add lettuce, fennel, arugula, mint and tomatoes. Toss to mix.

    2. Step 3

      Preheat a large skillet over high heat, and add vegetable oil. Add remaining 5 cloves minced garlic. Add half the beef cubes and sear on all sides, shaking pan, until medium rare, about 1 minute. Reserve, then repeat with remaining beef.

    3. Step 4

      Transfer beef to salad greens and toss, or serve salad and beef separately, divided among four plates. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. If desired, serve with rice or crusty French bread.

Ratings

5 out of 5
397 user ratings
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Comments

You may consider a quick deglaze--towards the end before scooping the meat out--of 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce

I love this recipe and have made it several times. I leave out a few things for the salad (fennel, mint) and it still tastes great

I'm a novice; but I am Vietnamese. I tried cooking it and it taste so darn Americanized and not even that great at all. I call my mom and ask her what to give me some hint. Well, she told me, where is the fish sauce and rice vinegar? How about some sesame oil?

This recipe is not 15 minutes. It takes almost 15 minutes to peel and mince the 17 cloves of garlic… it took around 1 hour.

My family makes it with fish sauce and nuoc mau (for color) in the meat marinade. Some Vietnamese people add Maggi (we use soy sauce), but I have never seen fish sauce straight up excluded.

Not very authentic, sadly, and missing out on important flavors. The marinade should include oyster sauce and fish sauce. And bo luc lac should be served over a watercress salad. Plus this recipe misses the highlight of the dish, which is a simple dipping sauce of salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lime that adds spectacular flavor.

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Credits

Adapted from Michael Huynh

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