Vietnamese Beef Stew with Green Peppercorns (Bo Ham Tieu Xanh)
Vietnamese beef stew with green peppercorns ("Bo Ham Tieu Xanh") features tender beef cubes, potatoes and carrots in a flavorful sauce with mild heat and zestiness from fresh green peppercorns. Serve it with crusty bread for a comforting meal.
- Prep time
- 20 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 40 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1.5 lb beef cubes, about 1.5-inch thick ((see Notes for choosing beef cuts))
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon olive oil ((and more for cooking))
- black pepper
- 1 small onion, cut into wedges ((about 1/2-2/3 cup))
- 3 shallots, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 oz green peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon tomato paste
- 2 cups fresh coconut juice
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt ((or more to taste))
- 1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
- 2 carrots, peeled and rolled-cut
Instructions
- 1
Cut beef into 1.5-inch thick cubes and mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon olive oil and black pepper. Set aside. If you have time, you can marinate for 1-2 hours for tastier results.
- 2
Cut onion into wedges, slice shallots and mince garlic. Also use a pestle and mortar to slighly crack 1 teaspoon of green peppercorns (or roughly chop with a knife).
- 3
In a heavy-bottomed pot over medium to medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add beef cubes and sear until brown. Transfer to a bowl.
- 4
Lower heat to medium. Add onion wedges to the pot and sauté until onion is fragrant. Add shallots, garlic and cracked green peppercorns and sauté briefly until fragrant.
- 5
Add beef cubes back together with 2 teaspoons of flour, stir well. Then add tomato paste and also stir well.
- 6
Add coconut juice and water and once it starts to boil, reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and bay leaves. With the lid slightly askew (to leave a small space between the lid and the rim of the pot), gently simmer until beef is almost tender to your liking. I simmer mine for about 70-80 minutes.
- 7
Add carrots and potatoes to the pot and cook until beef, potatoes and carrots are tender to your liking (which is about 20 minutes for me).
- 8
Taste and adjust seasoning to your taste. You may also adjust the consistency of the sauce with additional water (to thin it out) or flour (to thicken it).
- 9
Transfer to serving bowls and garnish with some fresh uncooked green peppercorns (optional). Serve hot with banh mi or your favorite crusty bread.