Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat

Vietnamese Shaking Beef

越式香煎牛肉粒

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — finished dish

Total time: 40 min
Difficulty: Medium
Servings: 4 servings

Recipe overview

Beef cubes sear over high heat until deeply browned, then toss quickly with onion and peppers while staying juicy.

01

Ingredients

Main ingredients

600 g, cut into 3 cm cubes beef tenderloin
200 g onion
150 g red bell pepper
150 g yellow bell pepper
100 g watercress

Beef marinade

2 tbsp oyster sauce
1.5 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp cornflour
1/2 tsp black pepper

Pan-searing oil

2 tbsp cooking oil

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — ingredients

02

Tools

large bowl
cutting board
kitchen knife
cast-iron pan
spatula
kitchen tongs
meat thermometer

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — tools

03

Steps

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Cut the beef

Step 1

Cut the beef

Cut tenderloin across the grain into even 3 cm cubes and pat completely dry.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Marinate the beef

Step 2

Marinate the beef

Mix beef with all marinade and rest at room temperature 15 minutes.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Cut onion and peppers

Step 3

Cut onion and peppers

Cut onion and both peppers into 3 cm pieces.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Prepare the greens

Step 4

Prepare the greens

Wash and thoroughly dry watercress, then spread on a platter.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Heat the pan

Step 5

Heat the pan

Heat a cast-iron pan over high until very hot and add 1 tbsp oil.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Sear the first batch

Step 6

Sear the first batch

Add half the beef in one layer and sear untouched for 1 minute.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Shake and brown

Step 7

Shake and brown

Toss and sear another 1 to 2 minutes until browned, then remove.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Sear the second batch

Step 8

Sear the second batch

Add remaining oil and cook the remaining beef the same way.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Cook the vegetables

Step 9

Cook the vegetables

Add onion and peppers and stir-fry on high for 2 minutes until crisp-tender.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Return and toss

Step 10

Return and toss

Return all beef and toss over high heat for 1 minute.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Check doneness

Step 11

Check doneness

The thickest cube must reach 63°C and rest 3 minutes with a browned exterior.

Vietnamese Shaking Beef — Plate and serve

Step 12

Plate and serve

Spoon beef, vegetables and juices over watercress and serve immediately.

Common mistakes

Leaving beef wet and cooling the pan.
Crowding the pan so beef steams.
Cutting uneven cubes that cook differently.
Using raw-beef tongs for cooked meat.

Tips

Sear beef in single-layer batches so the pan stays hot; use clean tongs for cooked beef and rest it 3 minutes after reaching 63°C.