Bo luc lac — shaking beef — gets its name from the way the pan is shaken as cubes of beef sear over high heat. It's a Vietnamese favourite with French roots: tender steak, a glossy savoury-sweet glaze, and a pile of peppery watercress underneath.
The beef is caramelised on the outside and pink in the middle, and each bite gets dragged through a sharp little dip of lime juice, salt and pepper. It sounds fancy, but it's really just a very good, very fast stir-fry.
From chopping board to table in under half an hour, this is the dish to make when you want something impressive without any fuss.
