Lok Lak (Shaking Beef) Recipe

Name: Lok Lak (Shaking Beef)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: For the marinade; 2 tablespoons oyster sauce; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 1/4 cup water or low sodium chicken stock; For the lok lak; 2 pounds New York strip or ribeye steak (trimmed), cut into 1/2-inch cubes; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 2 scallions, thinly sliced, green and whites separated, divided; 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil; For the pepper-lime sauce; 1 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 large clove garlic, minced; 2 teaspoons black pepper; 1/2 cup fresh lime juice; To serve; 1/2 head crispy romaine lettuce, leaves separated; 2 large on the vine tomatoes, sliced; Hot cooked jasmine rice

In This Recipe

A French-Inspired Recipe
The Best Cut of Beef
Using Oyster Sauce
Sour, Spicy, & Salty Sauce
How to Serve

Lok lak is a Cambodian celebratory dish that consists of tender cubed steak drenched in a savory tomato sauce. You’ll always see it plated with the beef encircled with crisp romaine lettuce and sliced bright red tomatoes. Once the lok lak is served, everyone takes a piece of lettuce and adds the sauced beef, tomato, and rice inside, then spoons the pepper lime sauce on top. Lok lak is for a special occasion, but it’s also easy enough for a weekday meal.

Lok lak is one of my favorite dishes that my mom would make. Every time it appeared on the dinner table, I knew it was because we had guests visiting or she wanted to show us extra love that day. Make this next time you want to impress guests or tell your loved ones how much you care.

Lok Lak Served Over Sliced Tomatoes and Lettuce on a Platter With a Bowl of Pepper-Lime Sauce, and in the Background, a Bowl of Rice — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

A French-Inspired Recipe

You’ll find lok lak in Cambodia and Vietnam. It’s a French-inspired dish, and the inclusion of tomato sauce and beef are signs of that. Lok lak is also called “shaking beef” because you have to constantly move the beef around the pan to get an even sear on all sides of the meat.

The Best Cut of Beef for Lok Lak

The hero of lok lak is the steak. It is crucial that you pick a cut of beef that has some marbling, but stay away from beef with large pieces of fat. The beef is cut into small cubes and cooks really fast, so it doesn't have much time to render out the fat.

When I make lok lak, I like to use a New York strip steak or ribeye. If you use ribeye, remember to trim off any large pockets of fat.

Using Oyster Sauce in Lok Lak

Traditionally, oyster sauce was made by simmering oysters and water in big basins until it became a dark, thick sauce. Sometimes, soy sauce was added for extra umami. Now, oyster sauce is made with sugar, salt, cornstarch, and oyster essence. Aside from adding it to lok lak, you can use oyster sauce in a variety of dishes such as beef wraps, fried rice, soups, or in marinades.

Hand Raising a Lettuce Leaf With a Bit of Lok Lak Over and a Sliced Tomato, and in the Surrounding, a Bowl of Pepper-lime Sauce and a Platter With More Lok Lak — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

My favorite brand of oyster sauce is from Lee Kum Kee. You can find a variety of oyster sauces at specialty stores or online. When I buy oyster sauce, I like to keep it in the fridge after opening.

The Essential Ingredients of an Everyday Asian Pantry

A Sour, Spicy, and Salty Sauce

When you make a dish from Southeast Asia it is very important that the dish has sweet, spicy, salty, umami, and sour flavors. This flavor profile creates a balanced dish that feels complete on your palate. The sauce for lak lok contains salt, sugar, pepper, garlic, and lime. It rounds out the flavor of the beef by adding sour, spicy, and salty notes.

How to Serve Lok Lak

When you are ready to plate lok lak, place fresh crispy romaine lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a large circular plate. Then slice large tomatoes and overlap the slices with the lettuce so that the tomatoes trace the edges of the lettuce. Next, put the meat in the middle. Top everything with fragrant slices of scallions. Serve your lok lak with pepper lime sauce and jasmine rice.

Platter of Lok Lak Served Over Sliced Tomatoes and Lettuce at a Table Setting With a Bowl of Rice, a Plate With a Serving of Lok Lak, and a Bowl of Pepper-lime Sauce — Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

More Easy Beef Recipes

Lok Lak (Shaking Beef)

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Marinating Time 10 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Servings 4 to 6 servings

For the marinade

2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup water or low sodium chicken stock

For the lok lak

2 pounds New York strip or ribeye steak (trimmed), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 scallions, thinly sliced, green and whites separated, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the pepper-lime sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons black pepper
1/2 cup fresh lime juice

To serve

1/2 head crispy romaine lettuce, leaves separated
2 large on the vine tomatoes, sliced
Hot cooked jasmine rice

Make the marinade:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the oyster sauce, tomato paste, fish sauce, cornstarch, salt, and black pepper.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Marinate the beef:

Place the cubed beef in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the marinade. Add more marinade 1 tablespoon at a time if the meat doesn't look well coated (not soaked). Add the garlic and the whites of the scallions. Mix until well combined. Marinate for 10 minutes.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Add water or stock to the remaining marinade:

Add the water or low sodium chicken stock to the remaining marinade, stir to combine, and set aside. You’ll add this to the beef as it’s cooking.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Make the lime-pepper sauce:

Combine the salt, sugar, black pepper, lime juice, and garlic in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to serve.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Cook the beef:

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. When oil is hot, add the steak to the pan, reserving the marinade left in the bowl.

Cook, shaking the pan continuously, so that the beef is seared on all sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Once the steak is almost to your liking, add the rest of the marinade to the pan. Stir to coat the steak with the marinade. Cook until the sauce thickens, 2 minutes.

Remove from heat and set aside.

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu
Plate the lok lak:

Place fresh crispy romaine lettuce leaves on the outer edge of a large circular platter. Overlap the tomatoes with the lettuce so that the tomatoes trace the edges of the lettuce. Add the beef to the center of the platter. Finally, top everything with the remaining sliced scallion greens.

Serve the lok lak with the pepper-lime sauce and hot jasmine rice.

To eat, create a lettuce wrap and fill with meat, tomatoes, rice, and lime-pepper sauce.
Storage:

Refrigerate any leftover meat, sauce, and fresh vegetables in separate sealed containers for 3 to 4 days.

Did you love the recipe? Leave us stars below!

Simply Recipes / Frank Tiu

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
583	Calories
37g	Fat
19g	Carbs
42g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	583
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g	48%
Saturated Fat 14g	69%
Cholesterol 119mg	40%
Sodium 1295mg	56%
Total Carbohydrate 19g	7%
Dietary Fiber 3g	9%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 42g
Vitamin C 19mg	93%
Calcium 62mg	5%
Iron 5mg	27%
Potassium 934mg	20%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.