Bò Lúc Lắc [Shaking Beef], Vermicelli + Chinese Spinach
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Bò Lúc Lắc [Shaking Beef], Vermicelli + Chinese Spinach

As a child, my favorite dish to order when our family would go to Vietnamese restaurants was Bò Lúc Lắc [Shaking Beef] because the name was so much fun to say. I would do a little shaking dance as I'd tell my mom what I wanted.

The name comes from the vigorous shaking of the beef to evenly coat the cubes of beef with the delicious flavors so that each cube gets that deep rich sweet, salty caramelized flavor. But I find many restaurants don't cook it well because it's often overcooked and can be dry and gamey.


For my dish there was not shaking involved instead I just used the same rich caramelized sauce for these beautiful Wagyu short ribs I found at my local HMart.


As you know Wagyu is a more premium beef and is more delicate to cook and but I was craving Vietnamese food so I thought I would combine the two hoping for a rich deep flavor but a with a tender melt in your mouth beef. Served with some beautiful fresh stir fried purple Chinese Red Spinach (Yin Choy) and vermicelli noodles. This dish is sure to hit all the right taste notes.


So I adapted the marinade recipe from Thuy Diem Pham's Little Viet Kitchen with a little of my own spin to it. I absolutely love this cookbook. It's so aesthetic. Gorgeous photos and it makes me want to dig deep into my roots and find the confidence to make the dishes I grew up with in my grandma's kitchen.



Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we enjoyed eating it!

 

1-2 Servings, Approx. 1 hr


What You'll Need

  • 8-10 oz. Wagyu Thin Cut Short Rib (You can substitute with another beef cut)

  • 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil, divided

  • 1½ lbs of Chinese Red Spinach (Yin Choy)

  • 6 Garlic Cloves, minced

  • Salt, to taste

  • ½ tsp Sesame Oil

  • 2 Bundle of Rice Vermicelli Noodles (depends on how much noodles you like to eat)

For the Marinade


All You Need To Do

  1. In a medium bowl, combine all of your marinade ingredients except for the cornstarch.

  2. Add your beef to the marinade coat it thoroughly, cover and refrigerate for at least 30mins. The longer your marinade it for the richer the flavors.

  3. Prepare your noodles. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil.

  4. Add your noodles and give it a little shake to loosen them. Make sure they're complete submerged for 2-3 mins. You do not want to overcook these noodles.

  5. Drain your noodles and rinse with cold water.

  6. Drizzle some sesame oil to keep noodles from sticking and set aside to air dry for at least 15 mins.

  7. Prepare your veggies. Wash and remove the hard stems from your spinach leaves.

  8. In a large sauce pan or wok, add 1 Tbsp of Vegetable oil at Medium High heat. Add your garlic and fry it until the oil is fragrant.

  9. Add your spinach and 4 cups of water.

  10. Cover and let it cook for 2-3 mins. Turn the spinach to the other side, cover and cook for another 2-3 mins or until it's wilted.

  11. Add salt to taste. Remove from pan and add to your serving plate.

  12. Add your noodles on top of the spinach.

  13. Cook your beef. Coat each side your your beef with a thin layer of cornstarch. (reserve your marinade sauce)

  14. Heat your pan on Medium high with 2 Tbsp of Vegetable oil at Medium High heat. Once the oil is hot, add your beef. Cook each side for 3-4 mins depending on how you like your beef cooked.

  15. Remove from heat and add to your serving plate.

  16. Add your marinade to the pan, stir and heat until it's a little thick. Drizzle on top of meat noodles and veggies.

  17. Serve with a side of picked diakon and carrots, other fresh raw veggies of your choice.

  18. Enjoy!

 

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know what you think! Leave a comment below or share a photo and tag me on Instagram with the hashtag #crazychewygood

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