Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

4.97 from 61 votes

Delicious Bo Kho Vietnamese beef stew recipe made by braising beef in spices, and aromatics from lemongrass to star anise!

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Total Time3 30

Course: Main, Soup, Stew

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings: Bowls

Calories: 722kcal

Author: Joyce Lee

Ingredients

Beef Marinade

1 kg beef (shank, oxtail, boneless rib, chuck, blade roast or sirloin tip - see notes)
1 kiwi (smashed)
1 can of cola (355 ml, approximately 1 ½ cups)
2 inch ginger (cut roughly into strips)
2-3 garlic cloves (roughly chopped)
1 onion (cut into slices)
2 teaspoons five spice powder
1 teaspoon fish sauce

Bo Kho Stew Ingredients

2 inch fresh ginger (sliced thickly)
4 cloves garlic (roughly chopped)
1-2 onions (sliced)
2 stalks lemongrass
1 cinnamon stick (2 inch long)
3-4 star anise
3 bay leaves
¼ cup tomato paste (add an additional 2 tablespoons if you want a thicker stew)
2-3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons fish sauce (adjust to taste)
¼ cup shaoxing cooking wine (or dry sherry)
2 large carrots
4 cups low sodium beef broth (32oz)

(Optional) If You are Transforming it to a Noodle Soup

1-3 cup beef broth (add more if you like a thinner soup for noodles)
fish sauce (adjust to taste)

Garnishes

½ white onion (or any sweet onion, thinly sliced - don't skip this, it really adds a lot of flavor to the final dish)
fresh basil
lime wedges
crispy deep fried shallots

Instructions

Marinate the Beef

Cut the beef into 1 ½ inch pieces and place it in large bowl
Roughly chop 2-3 garlic cloves and 1 onion and place it in the bowl
Cut a 2 inch piece of ginger and, cut them into thick matchsticks, and place them in the bowl
Add the 2 teaspoons five spice powder, 1 teaspoon fish sauce and 1 can of cola in the bowl
Peel 1 kiwi and smash it with the fork, put the smashed kiwi in the bowl
Mix everything well and marinate it overnight in the fridge. If you're pressed for time, marinate it for at least 4 hours in room temperature.
It's important not to marinate it for more than 24 hours because kiwi is a very strong meat tenderizer, and it may tenderize the meat too much and make it mushy.

Preparation

Once you are done marinating, remove the marinating beef from the fridge, drain and discard the liquid.
Discard the aromatics (the onions, garlic and ginger). Don't worry we use fresh arromatics for the stew.
Let the beef sit in room temperature for an hour, this will help with the browning of the beef since the beef won't be as cold.
While we are waiting for the beef, peel and slice 1-2 onions and set it a side
Peel and roughly chop 4 cloves garlic and set it a side
Cut out 2 inch ginger, and slice it and set it a side.
Peel and chop 2 large carrots into 2 inch chunks and set it aside
Peel the dried outer layer of 2 stalks lemongrass and cut off the dried tips at the top and discard it. Wash the lemongrass to remove any sand. Cut the lemongrass into 2-3 inch chunks and smash it with a rolling pin or the blunt back of your knife to release the oils.

Putting It Together

Place a large heavy bottom pot or a dutch oven over the stove on medium heat and add a bit of oil with 2-3 tablespoons butter
When the pot is hot, add the beef in one at a time, careful not too crowd it too much. Brown the beef in batches. (The beef browns better if you touch it less, it gives it a chance to form a crust)
Once all the beef has browned, add all the beef back in and add in the chopped onions, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, 1 cinnamon stick and 3-4 star anise and toast it with the meat for about 5 minutes
Add in ¼ cup tomato paste and mix everything well, cook for another 2-3 minutes
Add in ¼ cup shaoxing cooking wine, 4 cups low sodium beef broth and 3 bay leaves and gently scrape the bottom of the pan if there are brown bits stuck to the bottom (this is flavor).
Bring it to a boil. Once it has started boiling, reduce the heat to low and put a lid on it and let it simmer. Set a timer for 2 ½ hours. (If you are using oxtail or beef shank, you will need to cook it a lot longer, by approximately 1 hour more)
Once 2 ½ hours have passed, stir the stew and check the beef for tenderness. If it is still tough continue to cook it for another 30 minutes. If the stew needs more liquid, add more beef broth or water.
Once it is tender, add in the carrots and continue to cook it for another 30 minutes with the lid on until the carrots are soft
Add 3 tablespoons fish sauce and adjust it to your taste
Pick out the lemongrass, star anise, and bay leaves and discard them.
Ladle some stew into a bowl and serve with a Vietnamese baguette or with rice.

(Optional) Making It Into A Beef Noodle Soup

Once the stew is done, add in 1-3 cup beef broth (depending on how thin you want the soup)
Add fish sauce to taste
Serve with noodles and thinly sliced sweet onions. Garnish with lime wedges and thai basil.

Notes

If you use beef shank or oxtail, you will need to increase the cooking time, since they are tougher cuts of beef. Definitely worth it though.
If you use oxtail, you will get less meat if you use 1.5kg of oxtail since the majority of the weight will come from the bones.
If you like your beef stew spicy, you can add 1-2 Thai chilies into the stew while the beef is braising.
It's important not to marinate it for more than 24 hours because kiwi is a very strong meat tenderizer, and it may tenderize the meat too much and make it mushy.

Nutrition