Are you looking for something different for a quick weeknight dinner? Our recipe for Vietnamese Bo Luc Lac, known as “shaking beef,” is both flavorful and easy to make with sirloin steak tips. The savory stir-fry can be eaten with vegetables for a satisfying low-carb dinner or served with rice. Read on for the recipe. 

A Beef Cut You’ll Love

Our all-natural Angus beef sirloin steak tips are cut from the sirloin end of the strip. These trimmed pieces of beef are like steak cubes, need very little prep and are quick-cooking.

This versatile cut can be simply seasoned or marinated and used in stir-fry, kabobs, grind-your-own burgers, fast braises, and stews. They’re also great in classic dishes like beef Stroganoff, steak tips with mushroom gravy, and steak tips with red wine sauce.

We decided to make a classic Vietnamese dish called Bo Luc Lac, which translates to  “shaking beef” because you must constantly move the pan as it cooks. This quick stir-fry is a one-pan meal that is perfect for weeknight dinners. Stock your pantry with a few Asian sauces – fish, soy and oyster – and you’ll be ready to infuse rich flavor into many dishes.  Serve this shaking beef simply, with nothing but green vegetables (chard and cress in our recipe), or add rice if you like.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef or Bo Luc Lac

Ingredients

1 package Angus Beef Sirloin Steak Tips, trimmed if needed
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon light molasses or honey
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Neutral oil, we used avocado oil
⅓ cup water
Juice of 3 large limes, about ¼ cup, divided use
1 teaspoon cornstarch or arrowroot
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch red chard, trimmed and coarsely chopped
1 bunch upland cress, washed well and trimmed

Preparation

1. Using a sharp knife, cut the steak tips into 1 to 1½-inch pieces. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together fish sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, molasses, and garlic. Add steak tips and toss to coat. Marinate mixture for 30-60 minutes.
2. Drain marinade from the beef into a medium bowl and set aside, be sure to drain well. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil to the beef, toss to coat, and set aside. Whisk water, ½ of the lime juice, and cornstarch into the marinade, set aside.
3. In a large, heavy skillet heat a scant tablespoon of oil. Working in batches as not to crowd the pan, sear the beef until nicely browned on the first side, about 1-2 minutes. Continue to cook, turning frequently and moving the skillet, until steak tips are browned all over but still pink in the middle, about 2-3 minutes more. Transfer beef to a rimmed plate or bowl and continue to cook until all beef is done.
4. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add red onion and sauté until softened, about 1 minute. Add red chard and continue to sauté until wilted, about 2 minutes more. Remove onion and chard mixture to a serving platter and top with cress. Season with black pepper and remaining lime juice.
5. Add reserved marinade to the pan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and glossy, about 2 minutes. Add back beef and any accumulated juices and toss to coat. Scatter beef and sauce over greens and serve immediately.