Khmer style beef stir fry with a sweet and savory sauce on a bed of fresh vegetables. Lok lak, known as shaking beef or beef salad.
Lok lak, known as shaking beef or beef salad is a sweet and savory beef stir fry dish that sits on a bed of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions and cucumbers. This well-loved dish is extremely popular throughout Southeast Asia with each country having their own variation. This Khmer version of lok lak is my mom's recipe, which has all the elements of sweet and savory but also has a slight sour kick from rice vinegar to balance out the saltiness and richness of the stir fry. This dish is enjoyed with a bowl of freshly steamed rice or can be eaten just with the salad.
Ingredients:
1 ribeye steak, sliced 1/8 inch thick
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp thick soy sauce or dark soy sauce
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
1/3 cup of water + 2 tbsp water
1 tbsp corn starch
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Salad garnishes:
Scallion, thinly sliced
Romaine or butter leaf lettuce
Red or yellow onion, thinly sliced
Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Visual Instructions:
Prepare the ingredients by rinsing and slicing the garnishes, mincing garlic and gathering the sauce components.
Cut the steak into semi thin slices and set aside in a bowl. In a separate bowl, prepare the sauce by assembling the sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar.
Assemble the garnishes onto a serving plate by layering the lettuce on the bottom and adding desired vegetables on top.
In a wok on medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and minced garlic and cook for 1 min until shimmering.
Add the sliced beef into the wok and quickly stir fry, while shaking the pan for 2 mins.
Add the sauce mixture and black pepper into the wok and continue cooking until the meat is partially browned.
Once the sauce comes to a boil, add the cornstarch dissolved with 2 tbsp of water and pour into the wok and continue stirring and shaking the pan for 2- 3 mins once the steak is cooked.
Turn off the heat and add the sliced scallions into the pan and serve immediately onto the serving plate.
Directions:
Prepare the ingredients by rinsing and slicing the garnishes, mincing garlic and gathering the sauce components.
Cut the steak into semi thin slices and set aside in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, prepare the sauce by assembling the sugar, oyster sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and rice vinegar.
Assemble the garnishes onto a serving plate by layering the lettuce on the bottom and adding desired vegetables on top.
In a wok on medium high heat, add a tablespoon of oil and minced garlic and cook for 1 min until shimmering.
Add the sliced beef into the wok and quickly stir fry, while shaking the pan for 2 mins.
Add the sauce mixture and black pepper into the wok and continue cooking until the meat is partially browned.
Once the sauce comes to a boil, add the cornstarch dissolved with 2 tbsp of water and pour into the wok and continue stirring and shaking the pan for 2- 3 mins once the steak is cooked.
Turn off the heat and add the sliced scallions into the pan and serve immediately onto the serving plate.
Garnish with additional sliced scallions and serve with freshly steamed rice.