Rating4(1,236)NotesRead community notesThis savory-sweet stir-fry, known as bo luc lac or “dice” in Vietnamese, gets its English name from the constant shaking of the pan performed by the cook while browning the meat. It can be tough work to move the hot wok constantly, and the intense heat can burn the ingredients in a wink. This recipe, adapted from the one served at Slanted Door, Charles Phan’s immensely popular Vietnamese restaurant in San Francisco, has been simplified for the home cook. Once the meat is marinated, it is quick work – 20 minutes from start to finish – but don’t try to expedite matters further by dumping all of the meat into the wok at once. Cook the meat in two batches (a pound at a time) so you get a nice, crisp sear. —Mark BittmanFeatured in: THE CHEF: CHARLES PHAN; From Out of the West, A Wok Slinger, Searing the Beef1½ to 2pounds beef tenderloin (filet mignon), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes2tablespoons chopped garlic2tablespoons sugarSalt and pepper5tablespoons neutral oil, like corn or canola¼cup rice-wine vinegar¼cup rice or white wine3tablespoons soy sauce1tablespoon fish sauce1red onion, peeled and sliced thin3scallions, trimmed and cut in 1-inch lengths2tablespoons butter2bunches watercress, washed and dried, or 1 head red leaf lettuce, washed, dried and separated into leaves2limes, cut into wedgesAdd ingredients to Grocery ListIngredient Substitution GuideMarinate meat with garlic, half the sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper and 1 tablespoon oil for about 2 hours. (Refrigerate if your kitchen is very warm.) Meanwhile, combine vinegar, remaining sugar, wine, soy sauce and fish sauce. Taste, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Mix about 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.Divide the meat into 2 portions, and do the same with the onion and scallions. Put a wok or a large skillet over maximum heat, and add about 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil smokes, add the meat in one layer. Let it sit until a brown crust forms, and turn to brown the other side. Browning should take less than 5 minutes. Add half the onion and half the scallions, and cook, stirring, about 30 seconds. Add about half the vinegar mixture, and shake pan to release the beef, stirring if necessary. Add half the butter, and shake pan until butter melts. Remove meat, and repeat.Serve beef over watercress or lettuce leaves, passing salt and pepper mixture and lime wedges at the table.Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.I worked at the Slanted Door, and this is one of their most popular dishes. However, the insider nickname is "Choking Beef". It's because the size of the cube - people are like "Do I cut this? Do I not cut this?" And then when they don't cut it and decide to jam it all in at once... Let me just say that we had more than one choking emergency during the time of my employment. Cook the cubes in the recommended size, but for god's sake, cut it when its in front of you on the table.I disagree. Without the lime and the salt/pepper sprinkle, this would be nothing other than stir-fried beef. The lime and salt/pepper mixture (preparation of which adds maybe another 23 seconds to the prep time) transforms this into a dish I'd be excited to share even with my chef friends. Totally agree with rice and lettuce leaves, though. Also suggest kimchi as an option, despite the cultural/geographic miscegenation.Having loved this dish at Slanted Door a million times, you CANNOT just squeeze the lime over the dish. Instead create a dipping sauce of lime and salt and pepper. Superb. Thanks for this easier recipe!Agree that it is way too easy to overcook this. Takes about 1 minute to brown, then get the meat off the heat! Next time I will leave the steak whole during marinade. Then brown until barely medium rare, take off heat, make the sauce, slice the meat thin and toss the slices in the sauce. Might not be authentic but I bet the meat will be nice and rare with the sauce providing much the same result as marinating the cubes.I keep kosher, requiring adjustments to the recipe. I used chuck-eye steak, cut into thin (~1/4in) slices against the grain, instead of cubes. Tamari was used in place of the fish & soy sauces. The meat was browned quickly and removed briefly while the onions were started to avoid overcooking the beef. The dish was finished with ~1 Tbs Earth Balance.NYC prices for filet mignon so was extra careful not to overcook. Even searing 2 sides puts you in danger. I'd suggest: sear beef on 1 side for 60-90 seconds, then proceed. Was worried onions would be too crispy: were perfect. Have watercress ready on a big serving plate, throw both batches and all the (gorgeous) sauce on it, then juice a couple of limes right over the whole thing (don't mess with wedges) and crack some beautiful pepper over the top. Doesn't need more salt. EPIC.Fish sauce (Nuoc Mam, or Nam Pla in Thai) doesn't contain any shellfish. It is made from fermented anchovies, salt, & water, with caramel coloring added to the cheaper brands. That's it.If you add Maggi sauce as suggested in another NYT recipe, it adds some depth.The vinegar tastes stronger in the cooked sauce than the raw sauce, so when tasting the raw sauce, don't be tempted to add more or stronger vinegar. Served it with rice and lettuce leaves. No need for salt/pepper mixture or lime wedges.If you like rare beef, cut the meat in larger sizes. I overcooked the meat and used less time than recommended.How can this be salty when it literally says salt to taste?P.s.Used pork filet mignon, successfully.loved this easy meal!
- halved the recipe for 2 people
- made rice and served my husband's serving over it. he isn't a huge lettuce fan. He gobbled it up.
- loved the squeeze of lime
- the sauce was fabulous
- cut up the steak pieces a bit larger to ensure no overcooking yum and there is enough for my lunch tomorrow!Instead of filet mignon, use Flat Iron steak. It’s effectively the same type of meat as it’s adjacent to the filet, but has a tough piece of tendon in it. Since you’re cubing it anyways, it’s easy enough to remove the tendon. Same tenderness for less than half the cost.Outstanding! Served over red lettuce leaves. Took another suggestion and cooked tenderloin whole and then sliced it after resting ... was done perfectly. Next time I will sear the meat first on both sides and finish in the oven. I found that adding the onions when I flipped the meat meant it didn't sear on the other side. And there will be another time!!Make this as written and use filet mignon. You deserve it.The salt and pepper with lime wedges are completely authentic all over Vietnam. Do it.Made this with elk backstrap. Don't cube the steaks before cooking. Cook half of the steaks at a time for one minute each side, then remove from pan, cover and let rest, for five minutes before cubing. After removing the steaks from the pan, I cooked the onions and added sauce and butter. Then I repeated this process with the other half of steak, onions, sauce and butter. What a great recipe for wild meat!Based on reviews, I went at the cook stage a bit differently. cooked the two kinds of onions together until a light char, removed them, seared the meat SUPER quickly (less than a minute per batch), added everything back and tossed with the sauce, again, well under a minute. perfect!It was very good and the watercress, red onion and lime looked very nice on the plate. Maybe because it was the first time with the recipe, but it seemed to take a long time to get everything ready. Once mise en place done, it wasn’t difficult but had to keep checking the directions. I used boneless short ribs which had texture, flavor and eat to cut the right size. About $13/lb. I need to look at recipe again to see how I can streamline,I tried to make this dish with a very fussy ATK recipe some time ago, and found it too much work, but this one was so much easier and so much better. I followed their guidance for the lime - 1/4 cup lime juice with 1 tsp pepper, and I added that with the beef before serving. Served with coconut rice because my husband doesn't like lettuce. Very delicious and easy. Will make again.The best example of snobbie home reviewers. Thanks.
I love filet and the flavors included with this, but it's nothing more than a minorly ramped up stir fry.Made this last night and loved it! Added cilantro/lime rice as well as hot pepper flakes. Other than that, followed recipe exactly!Make oil is hot to brown beef
Add hot pepper flakes
Lime really good
Garlic doubleUsed part of a leftover strip and flank steak cut into thin strips, seared very fast and hot in the wok. Served over a small amount of jasmine rice and some steamed broccoli on the side. I used reduced sodium soy sauce, added no salt to sauce mixture, and made the lime pepper dipping sauce as suggested.add chili flakes ;)Very tasty and so easy and quick! Our thought was trying it with pork tenderloin and I see others have used that with larger pieces, which sounds like a good idea. We're going to add sticky rice with the lettuce leaves/sauce next time. Should be a good meal through the spring/summer/fall. Thank you - yumm!We absolutely love this dish. We use baby arugula instead of watercress or lettuce which works really well.Halve sugar, butter, and oilPrivate notes are only visible to you.