Garlic and Chives: Bò Lúc Lắc (Shaking Beef)

There's a local Vietnamese restaurant that serves this pretty fantastic beef dish.  No, I mostly do not order phở like everyone else.  I wasn't even sure what I was ordering the first time, but I was very happily surprised.  The next step?  Trying to figure out how to make it at home.  Luckily, a restaurant in California was spilling its secrets!  For a dish that's pretty simple, ingredient-wise, this recipe yields a very flavorful dinner in not much time at all.

Bò Lúc Lắc (Shaking Beef)
Adapted from Garlic and Chives restaurant, Garden Grove, CA as seen at Plate Art for Kids blog

1½ pounds filet mignon or boneless ribeye steak

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1 medium red bell pepper

1 medium green bell pepper

1 medium sweet onion

2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

Marinade:

6 cloves garlic

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons oyster sauce

Salad:

1½ teaspoons granulated sugar

1 clove garlic, finely minced

Pinch kosher salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

1½ tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar

2 tablespoons water

1 shallot, thinly sliced

Dash sesame oil

4 cups Romaine lettuce leaves, chopped, or watercress leaves

Trim excess fat from beef, and then cut into ¾-inch cubes. In a bowl, combine the marinade ingredients. Add the beef and toss well to coat. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes or up to 2 hours.

For the dressing: In large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, garlic, salt, pepper, vinegar and water. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the shallot and sesame oil. Put the romaine or watercress salad on top but hold off on tossing.

Heat the oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the cubed beef and spread it out in one layer. Cook in batches, if necessary. Let the beef sear for about 1 minute, before shaking the wok or skillet to sear another side. Cook for another 30 seconds or so and shake. Cook the beef this way for about 4 minutes total, until nicely browned and medium rare. Add cubed bell peppers and onions. Finally, add the dark soy sauce to enhance the flavor and color of the beef.

In between shakes, toss the romaine or watercress salad and transfer onto a platter or serving dish. When the beef is done, pile the beef on top of the romaine or watercress salad and serve immediately with lots of rice.

Makes 4 servings