Shaking Beef

September's cookbook is Andrea Nguyen's Vietnamese Food Any Day.  She has another cookbook that has more complicated recipes, but for this one she honed the traditional food to an American grocery store.  We have made a few things and so far it has been delicious!
We used stew meat for this, which gives you some tough and some tender pieces, and I am putting leftovers into a bowl with more salad than beef, but it is a beautiful dish as written.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon fish sauce

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless rib eye steak or New York strip steak, trimmed and cut into 3/4- to 1-inch pieces


• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion or shallot
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar or honey
• 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• 4 cups lightly packed watercress, baby arugula, or other salad greens

• 1 cup torn radicchio or 8 halved cherry tomatoes

• 1/4 cup fresh mint, basil, or other herb leaves, torn

• 2 tablespoons canola oil or other neutral oil (such as grapeseed)


Step 1    Make the beef

Stir together oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch, fish sauce, pepper, and garlic in a medium bowl. If a saltier finish is desired, add up to 1 1/2 teaspoons more oyster sauce. Add beef, toss well to coat, and let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature.

Step 2    Make the salad

Rinse onions in a strainer under cold running water for about 10 seconds; set aside. Whisk together 2 tablespoons water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Add onion; top with watercress, radicchio, and herbs. Do not toss.

Step 3    

Heat a large, heavy skillet over high, and add oil. When oil is shimmering, carefully add beef in a single layer. Cook, shaking pan every 30 to 60 seconds, until seared on all sides and meat reaches desired degree of doneness, 3 to 4 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from heat. Quickly toss salad, and transfer to a platter or serving dish. Pile cooked beef and juices on salad, and serve immediately.