Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

If I counted which recipe I get the most requests for, it'd probably be bo kho (Vietnamese beef stew).


I've received several emails asking for a recipe, but hadn't felt like making it. One month, I got 25 searches on the blog for bo kho. Once, in regards to my Pho 79 Restaurant - Alhambra post, someone emailed me to suggest I try the Vietnamese beef stew there. It's not like American beef stew, he said. Umm, yeah, I think I know all about Vietnamese beef stew. ;)

It's not that I dislike bo kho. It's that I'm incapable of cooking in small quantities. So I have to be in the mood for a whole lot of bo kho. In college, I used to make a pot of soup and eat it all week long. Soup seems to be the only thing I don't mind eating again and again. And if it's a tomato-based soup with oxtails, I relish eating each bowl.

But it wasn't until after the break-in, when my aunt brought over a bowl of bo kho and some sliced bread, that I was reminded of just how much comfort a bowl of Vietnamese beef stew provides.

Bo kho's distinct taste comes from the use of lemongrass, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, Vietnamese Indian Madras curry powder and Chinese 5-spice powder. The deep red color isn't just from tomato paste but also the use of annatto seeds. The stew needs to simmer for at least several hours to maximize flavor and for fall-apart tender beef. I prefer using a combination of beef stew meat and oxtails. The oxtails will result in a much deeper, richer flavor. You could certainly add tendon as well. Add the vegetables in the last hour of stewing so they don't become mushy.

And like most stews, it's even better the next day, and the day after that, and the day after that. I Facebooked (Yeah, it's a verb now.) my cousins and friends to offer them some bo kho, but none took me up on it. So I ate it all by myself. It took me a week. And it was good every single time.


Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

For a 6-quart pot, you'll need:
1 lb beef stew meat or chuck
1 lb oxtails, or substitute with 1 lb short ribs or another 1 lb of beef stew meat
1 tblsp annatto seeds
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised
2-inch knob ginger, cut into big slices
1 stick of cinnamon
3 star anise
1 bay leaf
2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder
2 tsp Ca Ri Ni An Do (Vietnamese Indian Madras Curry Powder)
2 tblsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce)
2 tsp salt
6-oz can tomato paste
2 carrots, cut into 2-inch chunks
3 potatoes or more, cut into 2 -inch chunks
1 cup pearl onions, or 1 large onion, cut into 2 inch chunks

Optional:
Serve with with a squeeze of lime and basil, and with rice or flat rice noodles.
You'll need about 1 lb beef stew meat and 1 lb oxtails. Wash and set aside.


Annatto seeds provide the deep rich red color and a slight sweetness to the stew.


In a large pot on high heat, add 1 tblsp of annatto seeds to 2 tblsp olive oil. The seeds will start releasing their color. Be careful! The seeds may pop in the oil. Keep stirring until the oil turns red. Scoop out the seeds and discard.


Sprinkle about 1/2 cup flour over the beef, making sure to coat each piece. Pan-fry the beef and oxtails until each side is brown. You may have to do this in batches. I just move the oxtails to one side of the pot and stack them on top of each other. When the beef is all browned, add any remaining flour to the pot. It'll help thicken the stew.


Add two bruised lemongrass stalks, ginger slices, a stick of cinnamon, and 3 star anise pods. Also add 1 bay leaf, 2 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder, 2 tsp Ca Ri Ni An Do (Vietnamese Indian Madras Curry Powder), 2 tblsp Nuoc Mam (Vietnamese Fish Sauce), 2 tsp salt, and a 6-oz can tomato paste.



Then fill your pot about 3/4 full with water. When the water boils, turn the heat down to medium and let simmer for an hour.

Meanwhile, prepare your other vegetables. I used pearl onions because I couldn't resist how beautiful they looked. You can dice a large onion instead. Chop up 2 carrots and 3 potatoes, or more if you wish. Keep the vegetable chunks at least several inches in size as they'll simmer for a while and you don't want them to become mushy or lose shape.


Add the vegetables after the stew has been simmering for an hour. Taste and add fish sauce or salt if necessary. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for another hour.


After simmering for several hours, the beef stew meat and oxtails should be fall-apart tender. Fish out the ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon, and star anise.


Serve with Vietnamese French bread, rice, or rice noodles.


Enjoy!

If you're feeling lazy, I've adapted this recipe for Crock Pot Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) or you can even add puff pastry and make a Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew) Pot Pie.

Who made my recipe for bo kho?
Lan of Angry Asian Creations made some adjustments and said, "i've had bò kho for dinner and lunch since Saturday: with rice, with bread, and with noodles. i love it."
Gi of A Los Angeles Girl in Iowa City said, "The results were wonderful: tender beef pieces swimming with bean sprouts and cilantro in a complex spice filled tomato soup base."
Martian Foodie said, "This stew was a hit!"
Lesbian Ham said, "Try it out, it's seriously good."

*****
1 year ago today, Banh Tom (Vietnamese Shrimp and Yam Fritters).