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Week of 4/20/26

Vietnamese Shaking Beef
with tomatoes / cucumbers / rice

Active: 35 Total: 155
Original GF Paleo Vegetarian
Vietnamese Shaking Beef

This classic Vietnamese stir-fry gets its name from the vigorous shaking of the pan during cooking. Our simplified version involves stir frying the beef to get a nice, deep sear. Serving the beef over a bed of spicy arugula provides a fresh counterpoint to the meaty flavors of this dish.

Proteins
Beef, non-ground
Cuisines
Asian - Vietnamese
Save recipe
15

Ingredients

Metric
Servings:
4
White or Brown Rice:
  • Rice, uncooked white or brown - 1 cup
Vietnamese Shaking Beef:
  • Garlic - 3 cloves , minced
  • Soy sauce, low-sodium - 2 Tbsp
  • Oyster sauce - 1 Tbsp
  • Brown sugar - 1 Tbsp
  • Fish sauce - 2 tsp
  • Vinegar, rice - 1 tsp + 2 Tbsp
  • Beef, boneless ribeye - 1 1/2 lbs , sliced into 1/2" / 1.3 cm cubes (sub NY strip or sirloin)
  • Bell peppers, red - 1 , chopped
  • Onions, medium and red - 1 , chopped
  • Cucumbers - 8 oz , chopped
  • Tomatoes, roma - 3 , chopped
  • Cilantro, fresh - 1/4 cup , chopped
  • Oil, cooking - 1 Tbsp
  • Arugula - 5 oz (sub any tender salad greens)
  • Hot sauce (opt) - for serving

Prep

  1. Make marinade - Mince garlic. Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, fish sauce, and first portion of vinegar. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  2. Marinate beef - Slice beef into 1/2” / 1.3 cm cubes and tenderize with a fork. Cover beef with marinade and toss to combine. Marinate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day. (Can be done 1 day ahead)

  3. Rice - For white rice, rinse until clear. Fill a saucepan or Dutch oven (or rice cooker) with rice, water (use 2:1 ratio for water to rice), and some salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Once water boils, stir, lower heat to a low-medium, and cover. Check white rice after ~20 min; brown at ~45 min. Rice is done when it's absorbed all the water. If it's not done, leave the cover on until all water has been absorbed. Take cover off to release steam and fluff with a wooden spoon after 5 minutes. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  4. Bell peppers / Onions - Prep as directed and combine. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)

  5. Cucumbers / Tomatoes / Cilantro - Prep as directed.

  6. Season cucumbers - Toss cucumbers with second portion of vinegar.

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Make

  1. Heat a wok or large saute pan with cooking oil over medium-high heat. Remove beef from marinade (discard marinade).

  2. Add bell peppers and onions to heated pan along with a pinch of salt and stir fry until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

  3. Return pan to heat (add a small splash of oil if the pan seems dry). Add beef to the pan and spread it out in an even layer. Allow the beef to sear on one side without stirring until golden brown, ~1 to 2 minutes. Flip the beef cubes and stir fry until all sides are browned (it’s okay if it isn’t cooked through).

  4. Return peppers and onions to the pan and add tomatoes. Continue to stir fry until tomatoes are softened and beef is cooked to your liking, 2 to 3 minutes more.

  5. If rice was made ahead of time, warm it in the microwave.

  6. Give cucumbers a stir.

  7. Form a bed of arugula on serving plates and top with beef and vegetables. Scatter cilantro over top.

  8. Serve shaking beef with rice and cucumbers on the side and hot sauce (if using) for drizzling. Enjoy!

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