Bo Luc Lac (Shaking Beef)

Ingredients

2 lbs of beef (NY strip, rib-eye, sirloin, or filet)
1 Tbsp thick soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp oyster sauce
2 Tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp salt (more or less)
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp olive oil (or whatever cooking oil you'd like to use)
1 big onion

Salad

Watercrest/Romaine lettuce (or whatever salad you prefer)
2 hard boiled eggs
1 tomato (or 2 if you like a lot)
2 lime wedges

First start off by cutting the beef into 1 inch thick pieces. Mix thick soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, salt, sugar, and pepper in with the beef in a bowl. Let it marinade for 5-10 minutes.  Julienne (boat wedges) the onions. Set the stove onto medium-high heat. Add oil to a skillet pan or wok. Then add the minced garlic and stir for a couple seconds. Add the onions next and wait for it to sweat and turn translucent; usually about 1 minute. Now push the onions to the side of the pan or take it out and put into a bowl (recommended). Turn the heat up to high and add the beef. Cook the beef for about 5-7 minutes. Taste a piece of the beef to see if you would like to add more salt or sugar. Lastly, add the onions back in if you took it out.

Next, arrange your salad onto a platter dish, slice the tomatoes, cut the boiled eggs into wedges, pour the beef on top of the salad, sprinkle with black peppers, and squeeze lime over the salad for a little tart. Serve with cooked jasmine rice.

Tomato Pork Chops

Ingredients:
2 pork chops
Butt Rub seasoning (yes it's actually called butt rub and its my favorite seasoning for all white meat. If you can't find this, just use Salt!)
Garlic powder
Blackened seasoning
Cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 teaspoon diced garlic
1/2 white onion (diced)
1/2 Cup chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz)

Start by sprinkling butt rub seasoning (or salt) on the chops, followed lightly by all the other seasonings. Meanwhile, heat 2 TBSP of olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat. Brown both sides (4 minutes each side and it doesn't have to be thoroughly cooked). Take the chops out and set aside. Add garlic, onions, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes to the skillet. Sprinkle a pinch of salt. Once it gets hot, add the chops back in, turn the heat to low, and cover it for about 30 minutes. These chops will be tender. Sprinkle it with paprika and dried parsley if you have that on hand. If not, don't worry about it. Serve with white rice. Enjoy!

While cooking

Tomato pork chops plated!

Braised Pork with Eggs (Thit kho)

Ingredients (all can be found at an asian market):
Servings: 4

1 pack of pork belly (cut in cubes)
8 eggs (or more if you prefer)
Green onions
Fish sauce
Thick soy sauce
Black peppers
1 can of Coco Rico soda
1 teaspoon cooking oil
Minced garlic
Crushed red peppers
Cooked jasmine rice.

Start by hard boiling the eggs for 15 minutes. Peel and set aside. Start by heating up the cooking oil in a sauce pan. When its hot, add the garlic. Then add all of the pork belly and sear it on medium heat. Add a pinch of black peppers and crushed red peppers (depending on how spicy you want it) Add about a tablespoon of thick soy sauce and stir it around. Then add the whole can of Coco Rico Soda. Add the eggs. Add about 4 tablespoons of fish sauce. Cover the pan with a lid and leave it cracked a little. Put it on low heat and let it braise for about 30 minutes. Top it off with green onions. Serve over white jasmine rice.

This is a very fragrant dish so make sure the vent is on. In addition, adjust the seasonings based on how spicy or salty you want the dish to be.