Chip Challenge #1: Bo Luc Lac (Shaken Beef)

I am proud to present to you the first of the Chip Challenges! As you know, I generally take on the role of Head Chef at home and my boyfriend, the sous-chef. Well, ladies and gentlemen, as of now, once a week, the roles are reversed! My boyfriend aka Chip (short for Chipmunk, my nickname for him hehe) will be cooking a delicious vietnamese dish every week.

This week, Chef Chip is making Bo Luc Lac (Translation: Shaken Beef). Isn't this the cutest name? It actually describes the "shaking" of the beef back and forth in the wok when making this dish.

Bo luc lac (Shaken Beef)

Serves 4

Adapted from Ravenous Couple's blog

Ingredients

Beef Marinade

3/4 lbs beef sirloin (or any cut you like) cut into 1″ cubes

1 tablespoon minced garlic

3/4 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon soy sauce

Vinaigrette

1/2 cup rice vinegar

3 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1 bunch of watercress, long stems trimmed

1 tomato, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons cooking oil for frying

Directions

1. Combine the garlic, oyster sauce, sugar, fish sauce, soy sauce and sesame oil with the beef. Let marinate for at least half an hour, but preferably 1-2 hours.

2. Prepare vinaigrette by mixing rice vinegar with salt and sugar.

3. Pour about 3-4 tablespoons of the vinaigrette on the thinly sliced red onions and set aside covered in fridge for about 10 minutes. Prepare bed of watercress and tomatoes in a serving platter and set aside.

4. Heat the cooking oil in a large wok or pan over high heat. When it begins to smoke, add an even layer of beef and allow to sear for about 30 seconds, before “shaking” to sear the opposite sides for another 30 seconds to brown all the sides. Do this in batches to cook all the beef if necessary.

5. Transfer the beef to the bed of watercress and tomatoes. Drizzle another 3 tablespoons of vinaigrette over the beef and greens and top with pickled red onions.

Y was seriously craving bo luc lac this week. He ate it recently at a restaurant and was continuously thinking about it so he decided to make his own. I thought it came out pretty good, although he says it didn't taste quite like the one at the restaurant. He's still on the lookout for the perfect bo luc lac recipe!

I'm ashamed to say that I've been neglecting my Sunday Brunch series (same old lame excuse - too lazy/busy to cook in the morning!) so the Chip Challenges will replace it until I find more time in my schedule (or when I feel less lazy hehe). I find it so overwhelming to cook 7 days a week and I welcome the Chip Challenges with open arms. I hope you enjoyed this recipe!