Sunday, June 14, 2009

bo luc lac



This is one of my favorite Vietnamese dishes growing up- bo luc lac. It's literal translation is shaking beef. You can say it's a kind of comfort food for me. Luckily, it's also very easy to make.

I've looked online and found many recipes for it. Each one has been very different from the next. This one comes from my mom. I consider her a reliable resource.

The recipe comes in two parts: a marinade and a dressing. To feed about four, you will need a pound of beef cubed (the cut is your choice; I used top sirloin) and one bunch of watercress. For the marinade, you will need Maggi, 4-6 garlic crushed, and cracked pepper. Maggi is a type of seasoning. It's very similar to soy sauce but, in my opinion, much better. This bottle is imported from Europe.



Since this recipe comes from my mom, I don't have exact measurements for the ingredients. I just shake enough Maggi on the beef so that it's covered. Then, I mix in the garlic and lots of cracked pepper. I prepared it early so that the marinade has time to be soaked in by the beef.



With about two tablespoons of olive oil, I saute the beef for about 5-8 minutes over medium heat.



For the dressing, you will need about 1 part olive oil and 1 part vinegar to about 1/2 to 1/3 part Maggi. The Maggi pictured below is what is readily available in the States. You will also need crushed garlic, sugar, cracked pepper, and yellow onion sliced thin.



You'll add the sugar and garlic as needed to balance the dressing. You can also add water to make it suit your taste. At the last minute, add the slices of onion. It will look something like this.



When it's ready to serve, place the beef on top of the watercress and pour some of the dressing on top. It's also great with sliced tomatoes. Like every other Asian dish, I like to compliment it with some steamed rice, too. Enjoy!

1 comment:

Amee said...

I am so glad you shared this! This is one of my favorite dishes. I love getting it at Sinh Sinh here in Houston, but now I can attempt to make it at home :)