Vietnamese Shaking Venison

This is a simple Vietnamese dish, common in most households and restaurants. The only difference is that it's always made with beef, but it's great made with venison, too.

I grew up eating thit bo luc lac, which translates into "shaking beef." It's named after the shaking motion you make (or supposed to make) with the pan when you sauté the meat. I suck at any fancy tricks in the kitchen, so I cheat by using tongs to move and flip the meat around. You can, too. I won't tell.

This was a quick and easy meal for my mom to whip up in minutes. She'd marinate the meat before work, and then sauté it for dinner. The beef is marinated in a few ingredients, browned and then served over a bed of lightly dressed watercress and eaten with white rice. If you don't have access to watercress, use arugula, which has a similar peppery, mustard-like taste.

The salad dressing used here is quintessential Vietnamese. It's light, slightly sweet and acidic.

Servings: 2
Prep Time: 20 minutes to 2 hours
Cook Time: 4-7 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 pound of venison loin or tender hindquarter roast
- 1 tablespoon of peanut/vegetable oil
- 2 servings of cooked jasmine rice, keep warm
Marinade:
- 1/2 teaspoon of freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon of light-sodium soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons of oyster sauce
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
Salad:
- 4 cups of watercress (only tender, leafy parts) or arugula
- 1 shallot, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 3-5 turns of freshly cracked pepper
- 2 tablespoons of water

1. Remove all silver skin from venison and cut into 3/4-inch cubes. In a small bowl, combine marinade ingredients. Then add venison and marinate, covered, for at least 20 minutes but no longer than 8 hours in the refrigerator.

2. In a large bowl, combine all salad ingredients except the watercress/ arugula. Do not toss until ready to eat. Set aside.

3. Next, heat oil in a large wok or skillet over high heat. Add venison cubes in one layer, and allow it to sear on this first side for 1 minute. Then shake the pan (or flip with tongs), to sear the other sides for 30 seconds each. Cook venison for about 4 minutes total or until nicely browned and medium-rare.  

Toss arugula or watercress into dressing. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, to taste.

4. Move greens to a serving dish and pile cooked venison on top. Serve immediately with warm jasmine rice.