Recipe
🍽️ DINNER
Beef Lok Lak
Cubes of marinated beef seared hard and shaken in the pan, piled on crisp lettuce and tomato with a tangy Kampot pepper and lime dipping sauce.
Cambodian (Khmer) · easy · serves 4
prep 20 min · cook 10 min
~442 cal · 47g protein · 8g carbs · 24g fat · 1g fiber · 4g sugars · 8g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Lok lak is Cambodia's beloved shaking beef, a dish that carries the mark of the French colonial era in its cubed steak and tomato but is unmistakably Khmer at the table. Tender beef is marinated in soy and a little sugar, then seared hard in a hot pan, shaken constantly so it browns on every side while staying pink within, the shaking that gives the dish its name.
What makes it Cambodian is the dipping sauce, tuk meric: fresh lime juice, salt, and a generous grind of Kampot pepper, the prized peppercorn grown on Cambodia's southern coast and protected by its own geographical name. Each bite of beef is dredged through this bright, peppery sauce, its acidity and heat cutting the richness of the meat.
Piled in the middle of a platter ringed with crisp lettuce, sliced tomato, and raw onion, and served with jasmine rice and often a fried egg on top, lok lak is both an everyday meal and a dish of celebration. It is quick, punchy, and endlessly satisfying, the kind of food that turns a plate of steak and salad into something alive.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally dairy-, nut-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1.5 lbs beef sirloin or tenderloin, in 3/4-inch cubes
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp Kampot black pepper, coarsely ground (for the sauce)
2 limes, juiced (for the sauce)
1 tsp salt (for the sauce)
1 platter crisp lettuce, tomato, and sliced onion (to serve)
Instructions
1
Toss the beef cubes with the soy sauce (or tamari), oyster sauce, tomato paste, garlic, sugar, and cornstarch, and marinate for at least 20 minutes while you prepare the rest.
2
Stir together the coarsely ground Kampot pepper, lime juice, and salt to make the tuk meric dipping sauce, and set it aside.
✎ Chef’s note
Kampot pepper is the soul of this dish; its bright, floral heat against the lime is what carries the beef, so grind it fresh and do not skimp.
3
Line a platter with the lettuce, sliced tomato, and raw onion so it is ready for the hot beef.
4
Heat the oil in a wide pan over high heat until nearly smoking, add the beef in a single layer, and cook, shaking the pan often, for 4 to 5 minutes until seared brown outside but still tender within.
5
Pile the beef over the salad, and serve with the tuk meric dipping sauce and steamed jasmine rice.
Khmer home cooking, Cambodia.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
Siem Reap. Amok names the steaming rather than the sauce. A yellow or green kroeung paste is loosened with coconut, folded through freshwater fish, then set in a banana-leaf cup lined with noni leaves and steamed until it holds like a custard. Quick versions turned out in a wok are common in tourist kitchens and purists do not accept them.
🗺️
Cambodia. The Tonle Sap reverses. For part of the year the Mekong pushes so hard that the river feeding the lake flows backwards and the lake swells several times over, flooding forest that becomes a nursery for fish. That single hydrological quirk is why Cambodia eats as much freshwater fish as it does, fresh, dried, salted and fermented into prahok.
🌍
Asia. Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, and its food spans the delicate seasonality of Japanese washoku, the chili-fired curries of India and Thailand, and the wheat-and-lamb traditions of Central Asia. Rice, noodles, soy, and fermentation recur across its regions, while ancient spice routes and religious traditions shaped distinct grammars of flavor. Whether from a street-cart wok or a monastery kitchen, eating is deeply communal and ritual-rich.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Cambodia
Fish AmokA silky steamed fish curry-custard in banana-leaf cups, built on pounded lemongrass kroeung and coconut cream.
Bai Sach ChroukThinly sliced grilled coconut-marinated pork over broken rice, with pickles and a clear broth.
Nom Banh ChokRice noodles under a fragrant green fish-and-lemongrass gravy, piled with raw vegetables, Cambodia's Khmer noodles.
Browse all Cambodia recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Steamer.
Storing it: Fried food is best eaten fresh while crisp. Re-crisp leftovers in a hot oven or air fryer; the microwave makes them soft.
Make it a Cambodia meal
Tuk Ampov (Sugarcane Juice)Drink
Sankhya LapovDessert
Nom Banh ChokLunch
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Cuisine
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Frequently asked questions
What is Beef Lok Lak?
Cubes of marinated beef seared hard and shaken in the pan, piled on crisp lettuce and tomato with a tangy Kampot pepper and lime dipping sauce.
Where does Beef Lok Lak come from?
Beef Lok Lak is a Cambodian (Khmer) dish from Siem Reap, Cambodia.
Can Beef Lok Lak be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Beef Lok Lak recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Beef Lok Lak safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Beef Lok Lak take to make?
About 30 minutes total (20 minutes prep, 10 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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