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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%

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Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bo' Kho)

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

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

Directions

  1. 1
    Mix lemongrass, fish sauce, 5-spice powder, ginger, brown sugar and bay leaf, marinate the beef for 30 minutes.
  2. 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. 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. 4
    If sauce is too thick, add a bit of water.
  5. 5
    Add back the beef, lemongrass, bay leaf and star anise, cook uncovered for 5 minutes then add water.
  6. 6
    Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
  7. 7
    Add carrots and simmer for another 45 minutes until beef and carrots are tender.
  8. 8
    Remove bay leaf, lemongrass and star anise before serving with cilantro and Thai basil.
  9. 9
    Taste great with steam rice or French bread.

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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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • 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

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  • Read all 23 reviews

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