Recipes, Vietnamese

Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho) Recipe #SundaySupper

Posted on by Thien-Kim Lam
Vietnamese Beef Stew Bò Kho recipe is cooked slow for a hearty, flavorful meal. It's my favorite Vietnamese comfort food and perfect for fall. Full recipe at I'm Not the Nanny #SundaySupper

This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.

Vietnamese Beef Stew Bò Kho recipe is cooked slow for a hearty, flavorful meal. It's my favorite Vietnamese comfort food and perfect for fall. Full recipe at I'm Not the Nanny #SundaySupper

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.

Vietnamese Beef Stew Bò Kho recipe is cooked slow for a hearty, flavorful meal. It's my favorite Vietnamese comfort food and perfect for fall. Full recipe at I'm Not the Nanny #SundaySupper

Most Vietnamese eat the beef stew for breakfast, the same way as we eat phở for our morning meal. As for me, I’m happy to eat this hearty, healthy stew any time of day.

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. You can serve it over steamed rice.

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!

Vietnamese Beef Stew Bò Kho recipe is cooked slow for a hearty, flavorful meal. It's my favorite Vietnamese comfort food and perfect for fall. Full recipe at I'm Not the Nanny #SundaySupper

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Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho)

Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho)

Yield: 8-10 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

This Vietnamese beef stew takes a bit of time to make, but it’s totally worth it.

Ingredients

  • 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)

Instructions

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).

© Thien-Kim Lam
Cuisine: Vietnamese / Category: Entree
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Thien-Kim Lam

Thien-Kim is founder of I'm Not the Nanny. She loves her kids, coffee, bubble bath and sci-fi (not necessarily in that order.) She also writes about books at her virtual book club From Left to Write.

49 thoughts on “Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bò Kho) Recipe #SundaySupper”

  1. Renee says:

    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.

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    • Thien-Kim Lam says:

      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.

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  27. Patty says:

    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!

    • Thien-Kim Lam says:

      If you don’t have coconut water, just use regular tap water. I wouldn’t recommend coconut milk.

  30. Rob says:

    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.

  31. Tanya says:

    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!

    • Thien-Kim Lam says:

      Tanya, the bone broth must have made it even more amazing! I’m glad the kids enjoyed it as much as you did.

  33. Deborah Turner-Davis says:

    This turned out really well, thanks for the recipe. I loved the food while I was in Vietnam, and brought back lots of star anise, true cinnamon, Vietnamese salt and gorgeous smoked black cardamom pods. I don’t use them or make Vietnamese food as often as I should – thanks for the nudge.

  34. rachael jean guarnaccia says:

    Thank you for publishing this recipe, I’m excited to make it tonight!
    Wanted to also say, to people who love the “Asian twist” or “Vietnamese twist” …that is similar to saying your family’s beef stew recipe is a “Twist” on an Asian recipe. Bo Kho is a traditional Vietnamese stew.

    I realize this is small, but as a mother, I want my daughter to be proud of the culinary heritage of her father by knowing the difference between traditions, and feeling great that Vietnamese food is getting the popularity it deliciously deserves.

    Now, when I make one of my grandmothers Italian dishes and use fish sauce instead of anchovy paste… That is a Vietnamese Twist! 🙂

  35. Charles Franks says:

    I invited my niece (Vietnamese) and her husband over for lunch. I made this dish for her. i couldn’t fine lemon grass at any of our local grocery stories, so substituted lemon zest. Awesome results. I made on major mistake. I served over rice. My Niece ate two bowl but let me know not with rice…..

  36. dan O'Donoghue says:

    I had this at a Vietnamese restaurant in Melbourne Australia and loved it. As an absolute fan of Viet food, I Googled a recipe and came up with this. Absolutely sensational. Made exactly to your recipe and it was two thumbs up for everyone who tried to!

  37. Dom ciancibelli says:

    The timing at the top of the recipe is off by 2hours 30 minutes. If you add up the cooking time dictated including the prep and actual times totals 2 hours thirty minutes and not the 5 hours shown.

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