1 of 1 photos

Photo by:

Add this recipe to your:

Send this recipe:

Nutrition Facts
Serving Size 1 (665g) Recipe makes 4 servings The following items or measurements are not included below: 1 stalk lemongrass Chinese five spice powder 2 star anise
Calories 677
Calories from Fat 267		(39%)
Amount Per Serving		%DV
	Total Fat 29.7g	45%
	Saturated Fat 8.3g	41%
	Monounsaturated Fat 10.8g
	Polyunsaturated Fat 6.6g
	Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 228mg		76%
Sodium 1571mg		65%
Potassium 1362mg		38%
Total Carbohydrate 21.8g		7%
	Dietary Fiber 5.1g	20%
	Sugars 11.0g
Protein 77.9g		155%
detailed view... how is this calculated?

Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bo' Kho)

Recipe #108893 | 3 hours | 30 min prep | add private note

⁽²³⁾ RATE IT NOW Print Recipe

By: Nolita_Food
Jan 20, 2005

My mom and dad make this dish in the winter a lot. Every time they do, the whole house smells wonderful. One time my mom came to visit me in boarding school in England. She cooked one pot, I ate for a whole week and got on the black list of all Asians in school. It taste good steaming hot with French bread, and also very good in sandwiches. Some ingredients are available at normal grocery stores. You can get star anise and Thai Basil at Asian stores, natural food stores

SERVES 4 (change servings and units)

Ingredients

2 lbs boneless beef chuck, cut into 1.5 inch cube (weigh after trimming)
1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 2 inch pieces and bruised
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes or
1 (14 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 lb carrot, peeled,cut into 1 inch chunks
2 star anise
3 cups water
Thai basil (optional)
cilantro (optional)

Directions

1
Mix lemongrass, fish sauce, 5-spice powder, ginger, brown sugar and bay leaf, marinate the beef for 30 minutes.
2
Over high heat, heat oil in a heavy-bottemed 5-quart pot, sear the beef quickly then remove, reserve lemongrass and bay leaf for later use.
3
Reduce heat to medium, cook onions till translucent (5 minutes), then add tomato and cook with lid on for another 12-15 minutes.
4
If sauce is too thick, add a bit of water.
5
Add back the beef, lemongrass, bay leaf and star anise, cook uncovered for 5 minutes then add water.
6
Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
7
Add carrots and simmer for another 45 minutes until beef and carrots are tender.
8
Remove bay leaf, lemongrass and star anise before serving with cilantro and Thai basil.
9
Taste great with steam rice or French bread.

Questions about this recipe?

Spot an error in this recipe?

Submit a correction

More recipes like this one:

Candy Apple Milkshake

Sweet and Spicy Tomatoes

Easy Orange Margarita

Sugar, Salt & Vinegar Red Tomatoes

Curried Carrot and Coriander Soup

Featured Reviews for This Recipe

From: Chef #1399323

On Sep 29, 2009

A clarification of my earlier "the gristlier the better" comment: it is the gristle, i.e. connective tissue, that gives this stew its body, without it the broth is too watery. Mind you, this type of stew is not meant to be as thick as European or American stews, where the liquid is expected to coat the back of a spoon. It should be thought of instead as a chunky soup with a very hearty broth. Another good garnish to add at the table is deep-fried shallots or deep-fried garlic (or both), both of which can be found in Asian markets.

0 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

From: chrisandnol

On Jun 8, 2009

Made this once for my husband's coworkers and they have been requesting this dish ever since. It is so .....so... flavorful! Thanks so much for posting this. Oh! I double the fish sauce because I love fish sauce. It made it even tastier.

0 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

From: Sackville

On Mar 30, 2005

A very nice stew. I think this would be a good introduction to Asian food for people who want to try something a little different but aren't sure they'll like it. The flavours are all there but very subtle so it wouldn't be overwhelming for the uninitiated palate. Personally, I would add a bit of hot sauce to it next time as we enjoy spicy things but it is nice without as well. One hint though, make sure you buy good stewing beef with not too much gristle. I got a bad lot of it and it took a lot of trimming and even after cooking some pieces of beef were tough. I'm sure that wasn't the fault of the recipe though but rather the beef. We served with Aromatic Sticky Rice, Aromatic Sticky Rice

6 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

From: Chef #329119

On Dec 13, 2007

My husband who's Vietnamese (and whose mom makes fantastic Vietnamese home cooking) raved about this after I made it. I browned the meat and onions, then threw them & all the other stuff into a slow cooker (out of sheer laziness), adding some red potatoes & Vietnamese curry powder since his mom usually adds those. Also since I didn't have tomatoes I just used a dollop of tomato paste. I cooked it about 2 1/2-3 hrs on high since the potatoes didn't soften as fast as I'd thought on the low heat, and then another hour on low. But I'm sure if you just left it all day on low it would be fine.

4 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful to you? YES | NO

Read all 23 reviews