Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)

After plenty of recommendations from friends urging me to try this dish, I finally succumbed and attempted to make Bo Luc Lac as my first Vietnamese meal for the month.  Similar in flavor to Pad Krapow (a Thai dish that has become a staple in our home), Bo Luc Lac turned out to be as gratifying to eat as it was easy to make. 

Daunting name aside, it has all of the components of a simple stir fry with a unique taste that offers a little more range for a typical family meal.  Of course, there was one omission I made from the original recipe - I chose to leave out the pineapple (we weren't in the mood for a sweet dinner that night).  With that said, I would imagine the meal would have been taken to another level if we had opted to be a little more brave.  Perhaps, in the future, we will find such courage.  Or, perhaps we will save our bravery for a real (gulp) Vietnamese dessert. 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 Tbsp. fish sauce
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 2 Thai chilies or 1/2 Serrano pepper, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. oyster sauce
• 2 tsp. soy sauce
• 2/3 lb. beef sirloin steak or flank stead, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 2 to 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 1/4 ripe pineapple, cubed (optional)
• 1/2 cup Asian basil, cut in half
• 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cups watercress, washed, torn into bite sized pieces
• 1 ripe tomato, cut into thin wedges

Instructions:

1. Combine the lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chilies into a large bowl.  Set aside.
2. Place the oyster sauce, soy sauce and beef in a medium bowl and toss to coat meat evenly.
3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat.  Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 5 seconds.  Add the beef and quickly stir fry it until just charred on the edges, about 2 to 3 minutes.  Add to the bowl with the lime sauce.
4. Add pineapple slices (if using), Asian basil and red onion to the beef mixture.  Spread watercress and tomatoes in an attractive manner on the serving plate.  Arrange the beef mixture and all of its juices on the watercress and serve with rice.

(The original recipe came from "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" from Mai Pham)