Shaking Beef Salad

From the Fast section of SkinnyAsia 2.

Our Shaking Beef Salad combines tender pieces of marinated beef, cooked quickly over high heat until beautifully browned, with crisp lettuce, tomato, cucumber, red onion and plenty of fresh herbs.

Then there’s the Vietnamese-style lime dressing. Fresh, tangy, salty, sweet and a little spicy, it’s the thing that brings the whole salad together.

This was also a huge favourite with our testing team, with more than a few putting it straight onto their “make again” list.

Methods: Thermo cooker + Conventional

What is Shaking Beef?

Shaking Beef, also known as Bò Lúc Lắc, is a Vietnamese beef dish traditionally made by quickly searing cubes of marinated beef over high heat.

The name comes from the cooking technique. Rather than constantly stirring the beef, the pan or wok is shaken or tossed as the meat cooks.

That high heat gives the beef beautifully browned edges while keeping the inside tender and juicy.

We’ve turned those flavours into a fresh, filling salad that’s perfect for a quick dinner.

What you will need?

The complete recipe, quantities and methods are in SkinnyAsia 2, but here’s a look at the main ingredients:

For the beef:

Beef fillet, scotch fillet or sirloin
Garlic
Soy sauce, tamari or coconut aminos
Oyster sauce (gluten-free if required) or make your own Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
Fish sauce or Vegan fish sauce
Brown sugar or coconut sugar
Black pepper

For the salad and dressing:

Fresh lime
Fish sauce
Rice wine vinegar
Red chilli
Lettuce
Baby tomatoes
Lebanese cucumber
Red onion
Fresh coriander and mint

The Secret is a Very Hot Pan

Shaking Beef cooks FAST, so you want your wok or frying pan properly hot before the beef goes in.

The beef is cooked in two batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.

Let it sit undisturbed for around 40 seconds first to develop some colour, then shake or toss the pan and continue cooking until the beef is done to your liking.

And don’t throw away those pan juices! Spoon them over the finished salad with the beef for even more flavour.

What Does Shaking Beef Dressing Taste Like?

The Vietnamese-style dressing is all about balancing fresh, salty, sweet, sour and spicy flavours.

Fresh lime and rice wine vinegar bring acidity, fish sauce adds salty savouriness, sugar balances the dressing and fresh chilli adds a little heat.

It’s punchy enough to stand up to the rich beef while keeping the whole salad tasting fresh.

What Cut of Beef is Best for Shaking Beef?

Because the beef is cooked very quickly, a tender cut works best.

We’ve given you a choice of:

Beef fillet
Scotch fillet
Sirloin

Whichever you choose, cut the beef into bite-sized pieces so it cooks quickly and evenly.

Dietary & Recipe Variations

LOW CARB
Use compliant sauces and your preferred compliant sweetener.

SUPER SKINNY
Replace the beef with chicken.

PALEO
Use our Vegetarian Oyster Sauce from the website or replace the oyster sauce with a combination of coconut aminos and fish sauce.

VEGETARIAN
Replace the beef with extra-firm tofu or tempeh and use vegetarian oyster sauce and vegan fish sauce.

LOW FODMAP
Omit the garlic and use garlic-infused olive oil in the dressing and for cooking the beef. Replace the red onion with the green part of spring onion.

HALVED / DOUBLED
This recipe can easily be halved or doubled. When making a larger batch, continue cooking the beef in batches so you don’t overcrowd the pan.

What to Serve with Shaking Beef Salad

This one is designed to be a complete, fresh meal on its own.

Build your salad, pour over the Vietnamese-style dressing, then pile the hot beef and all those delicious pan juices over the top.

Finish with fresh lime, coriander and mint.

It’s particularly good for a quick weeknight dinner or a fresh summer lunch.

Get the Recipe

The complete Shaking Beef Salad recipe, including the marinade, Vietnamese-style dressing, Thermo cooker and conventional preparation methods, cooking instructions and dietary variations, is available in SkinnyAsia 2.

From the Testing Team

Tanya H. – Omggg this was delicious! I love shaking beef but as a salad is a great idea! Flavours are so good!! Love that dressing. I didn’t have lettuce so used baby spinach leaves. And no baby tomatoes but used a regular tomato.
Lauren J. – I bought a big pack of sirloin rump from Costco to make this and a couple other things, and goodness me this one went to the top of my ‘to make again’ list!
Sarah K.– Holy heck this was fricken delicious, the whole eye fillet purchased today is going to be put to good use.
Veronica B. – really enjoyed every mouthful, loved how easy is was to put together. Full of flavour!
Tara L. – That was ridiculously good!!! And such a simple recipe to make. Absolutely loved it.
Kaz M. – This is ridiculously good! Ahhh i cant stop eating
Eleni S. – It’s a joke how good this is. I didn’t have the right salad bits and pieces so put together what I had. Omg. This is my entire palette in a bowl.

Some other Thermomix Salad recipes you might love:

Want to know more about SkinnyAsia 2 cookbook?

SkinnyAsia 2 is a collection of Thermomix & Conventional cooking recipes. All of our cookbooks have a strong focus on Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Nut-free, Egg Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Vegetarian and Low FODMAP.

We cover a wide range of dietary variations in the cookbook – LC: Low Carb, GF: Gluten-free, DF: Dairy-free, LM: Low Fodmap, SS: Super Skinny, V: Vegetarian

FAQs

Why is it called Shaking Beef?

The name comes from the way the beef is traditionally cooked. The cubes of marinated beef are seared over high heat and the wok or pan is shaken or tossed during cooking, helping the beef brown while cooking quickly.

What is the best beef to use for Shaking Beef?

Use a tender cut that suits fast, high-heat cooking. Our recipe recommends beef fillet, scotch fillet or sirloin. Avoid slow-cooking cuts, as the beef only spends a few minutes in the pan.

SkinnyAsia2: Shaking Beef Salad