This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
I have fond memories of my mother’s bò kho, a Vietnamese style beef stew. My mother made this stew year round, but I crave it when the weather turns cool. My parents were on a tight budget so the stew stretched the beef with potatoes and carrots. Even after I ate all the beef pieces in my bowl, there was still the vegetables and rich broth. If you’ve only had American or French style beef stew, you’re missing out. The broth has so many layers of flavor due to the lemongrass, star anise, ginger, and other aromatics.
I haven’t eaten a bowl of bò kho in many years, but it’s time to introduce this comfort food dish to my family. There are many variations, but this is my interpretation of my mother’s recipe. She usually serves the stew with warm French bread or over rice noodles. Most Vietnamese eat the beef stew for breakfast. As for me, I’m happy to eat this hearty, healthy stew any time of day.
This Vietnamese beef stew bò kho recipe takes a bit of time to make, but it’s totally worth it. You’ll have a pot large enough for leftovers and your home will smell amazing!
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- 2 to 2 ½ pounds stew cut beef or boneless beef chuck cut into 1½-inch chunks
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 3 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger (about 3” knob)
- 2 ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 ½ tsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 3 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 3 Tablespoon canola oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 3 stalks lemongrass cut into 3-inch lengths
- 2 whole star anise
- 3 cups of coconut juice (or coconut water)
- 3 cups of water
- 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves or Thai basil
- French bread or rice noodles (cooked according package directions)
- In a small bowl set aside 1 tsp five-spice powder, 1 clove minced garlic, 1 tsp ground black pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine beef, fish sauce, 2 cloves minced garlic, ginger, 1 ½ tsp five-spice powder, and 1 ½ tsp brown sugar. Toss to evenly coat and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes while you peel and chop carrots and potatoes.
- In a 5-quart Dutch oven, heat over high heat until it shimmers. Brown the beef on all sides by working in small batches: add enough beef to cover the bottom without any overlap. Transfer to a plate before browning the next batch.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onions and cook until fragrant and soft, making sure to stir and scrape up the brown beef bits (approx 5 minutes). Add the tomato paste and stir into onions. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the reserved spice mix from seep #1, lemongrass talks, and star anise. Stir and let it cook uncovered until you can smell all the spices, about 5 minutes. Return the beef to the pot and add coconut juice and water.
- Bring pot back to a boil, then cover and lower heat. Simmer for about an hour or until the beef is chewy and tender but not falling apart.
- Add carrots and potatoes. Return to a simmer and cook uncovered until vegetables and beef are tender, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt or fish sauce as needed.
- To serve, remove the lemongrass and star anise. Spoon into bowls and garnish with chopped cilantro or Thai basil. Serve with warmed French bread. Alternately, spoon over cooked rice noodles (instead of bread).
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I’ve been wanting to try more Vietnamese recipes so I’m glad you shared this stew one. I can tell by the ingredients that it is full of Asian flavors I enjoy so much.
I love the Asian twist on this beef stew! I can only imagine how fabulous this must taste!
Vietnamese cuisine is a fave of mine. I look forward to giving this a try. It is beautiful!
I have five spice powder in my pantry just waiting for something like this. Amazing recipe!
Perfect! I’ve got another beef recipe with five-spice that’s great on the grill: http://www.imnotthenanny.com/2014/08/easy-vietnamese-steak-recipe.html
What a gorgeous beef stew. Love the Vietnamese twist!
Oh this looks so delicious! It is raining here and this soup is calling my name!!
Perfect soup for a chilly fall night!
It would be fun to have a beef stew put luck where everyone brings their families or their favorite recipe for beef stew.
Can I throw all this in a slow cooker? For how long?
I don’t own a slow cooker, but I imagine you can make this recipe in one. I don’t know about the timing. Cook enough until the beef is tender.
Is there any issues if I don’t use coconut water?
Not at all. You can just substitute with water.
This recipe hit a home run! Best stew I have ever made! Thank you! I added garlic chili sauce for a little kick and substituted the water with beef stock. Truely amazing!
Would it be a disaster if I used coconut milk instead of coconut water?
If you don’t have coconut water, just use regular tap water. I wouldn’t recommend coconut milk.
Hi what does T stand for ? Teaspoon or table ? Thanks
Jenny, T stands for Tablespoon. I’ll update the recipe to make it more clear.
I made this recipe last week for a family dinner exactly as published. The bo kho did not turn out very well and while it had the distinct flavor of bo kho, there was some off flavors. Overall no one like the recipe as published at the cooking club.
This week I made the recipe with some major changes to the recipe and it was some of the best bo kho that the club has ever tasted. Here is the amended recipe for anyone who scrolls this far down.
2 lb beef shanks
1lb stew meat
5 large cloves garlic, minced
3 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger (about 3” knob)
2 ½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1 ½ tsp brown sugar
1 tsp ground black pepper
6 Tablespoon fish sauce
3 Tablespoon corn oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 Tablespoon tomato paste
2 whole star anise
1 can of beer
4 cups of water
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 baguette
Prepare the stew exactly as above, leave the fat on the bone and add bones to the stew, but once the broth and meat are added to the dutch oven put on the lowest stove settings and let sit for 4-5 hours. When you are ready to add the vegetables do so one hour before you are ready to eat. Put on medium low and add the lid.
Beer! That sounds delicious.
I used to live near a vietnamese restaurant in toronto and would sometimes order this as a departure from my usual favourite bún cha. I’ve since moved to the UK and was craving this so searched for a recipe and found yours. I made it as written except I didn’t have coconut water so used homemade beef bone broth and added somevery coconut oil. It was so delicious! All 4 of my kids gobbled it up, including the baby. Thanks!
Tanya, the bone broth must have made it even more amazing! I’m glad the kids enjoyed it as much as you did.