Lifestyle
Tony Tan's Vietnamese shaking beef recipe
Add renowned chef Tony Tan's winning beef dish to your entertaining menu and wait for everyone to ask you for the recipe. It's that good!
By Tony Tan
Like a great steak and onions, this fast and easy Vietnamese beef recipe is one of my go-to dishes when I need to knock up something quickly.
Its name had always mystified me until my dear Vietnamese friend, Quang, explained that it’s a sort of onomatopoeia for the shaking sound of the beef as it is cooked in the wok.
Some writers claim the dish to be of Vietnamese–Chinese provenance, while others believe it is a purely French technique of cooking beef. Regardless of its origin, this dish is a winner.
The pickled bean sprouts are optional – you could also serve the beef with some sliced cucumber, a mixed salad or stir-fried water spinach.
Serves 4
Ingredients for Vietnamese shaking beef
300 g (10½ oz) beef fillet, cut into 2 cm (¾ inch) cubes
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small onion (optional), thinly sliced
2 teaspoons caster (superfine) sugar
2 spring onions (scallions) thinly sliced
For the pickled bean sprouts
½ cup (125 ml) rice vinegar
1 tablespoon salt
500 g (1 lb 2 oz) bean sprouts
For the marinade
1 teaspoon fish sauce or soy sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon oyster sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon rice wine
Pinch of caster (superfine) sugar
Pinch of salt, or to taste
Generous pinch black pepper
How to make Vietnamese shaking beef
For the pickled bean sprouts, combine the vinegar and salt with 4 cups (1 litre) water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Set aside to cool until it reaches room temperature. Pour the brine solution over the bean sprouts and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour. (Drain before serving.)
Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Stir in the beef cubes and leave to marinate for an hour. Heat the oil in a wok over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onion, if using, and toss until just softened and fragrant. Stir in the beef and continue cooking, shaking the pan vigorously until the beef is done to your liking (3–7 minutes).
Halfway through cooking, sprinkle the sugar over the beef so it melts and caramelises with the pan juices. Serve immediately garnished with the spring onion and with the drained pickled bean sprouts on the side.
The pickled bean sprouts are best eaten on the day they are made.
Citro food tip
Velveting the beef before cooking can result in a more tender dish. This involves marinating it in a mixture of cornstarch, soy sauce, and sometimes egg white, before adding to the marinade in this recipe. Velveting locks in moisture and creates a silky texture. Perfect for a stir-fry like this one as it ensures tender, juicy meat that absorbs flavours beautifully. Simple and transformative for any dish!
Images and text from Tony Tan’s Asian Cooking Class by Tony Tan, photography by Mark Roper. Murdoch Books RRP $59.99.
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