Bo Luc Lac — Vietnamese Shaking Beef with Lime-Pepper Dip

⏱ 35 min · Serves 4

Cubes of marinated sirloin seared hard and 'shaken' in a screaming pan until caramelised outside, blushing pink within. Piled on a peppery watercress salad with quick pickled onion and served with a punchy lime-black pepper dipping sauce, it's a 30-minute dish that eats like a restaurant classic.

Per serving: 486 kcal · 42.0g protein · 13.0g carbs · 29.0g fat

Ingredients

• 700g beef sirloin or rump, trimmed and cut into 3cm cubes
• 3 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra to serve
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp sugar (for the pickle)
• 100g watercress or rocket
• 2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar (for dressing)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 limes, halved
• 1/2 tsp flaky sea salt
• Steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Toss the beef with the oyster sauce, soy, fish sauce, caster sugar, 1 tsp black pepper and half the garlic. Leave to marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature.
2. Meanwhile, mix the sliced red onion with the rice vinegar, 1 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt; set aside to quick-pickle.
3. Make the dip: in small saucers, combine the flaky salt with a generous 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper and squeeze in the juice of one lime. Stir and set one per person.
4. Dress the watercress and tomatoes with the red wine vinegar, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Spread over a large serving platter.
5. Heat a large heavy frying pan or wok over the highest heat until smoking. Add 1 tbsp oil and half the beef in a single layer. Sear undisturbed for 1 minute, then shake and toss the pan for another 1–2 minutes until browned but still pink inside. Tip onto a plate.
6. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef. Return all the beef to the pan, add the butter and remaining garlic, and shake for 30 seconds until glossy and fragrant. Squeeze over the juice of the remaining lime.
7. Pile the beef and all its pan juices over the dressed leaves, scatter with the drained pickled onion, and serve at once with jasmine rice and the lime-pepper dipping saucers.