Traditional Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
A comforting, Vietnamese take on beef stew. This traditional Vietnamese beef stew or Bo Kho includes beef, lemongrass, daikon, and other yummy ingredients.
- Prep time
- 45 min
- Cook time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Yield
- 8 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb beef shank (cubed, see note 1)
- 1 lb beef chuck (cubed, see note 1)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 piece ginger (2-3 inches, thinly sliced)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp five spice powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 piece ginger (2-3 inches, thinly sliced)
- 1 yellow onion (thinly sliced)
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 stalk lemongrass (cut into 2 inch pieces)
- 2 large carrots
- 1 daikon (cut into chunks)
- 2 star anise
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth (see note 2)
- 4 cups water (see note 3)
- mint (see note 4)
- 1 lime (see note 5)
Instructions
- 1
Marinate the beef chuck and beef shank for 30 minutes with 2 cloves of garlic, 1 2-inch piece of ginger (sliced thinly), fish sauce, five spice, cinnamon, and vegetable oil. Make sure to include the bone from the beef shank in the marinade. Set aside.
- 2
In a large soup pot, saute onions, the rest of the ginger, and the rest of the garlic for 1 minute. Next, add the marinated beef and cook for 2-3 minutes until all sides are seared. Deglaze the pot with red wine and cook until the alcohol is burned out. You shouldn't be able to smell the alcohol anymore once it has burned out.
- 3
Add in the lemongrass, carrots, daikon, bay leaf, salt, tomato paste, beef broth, and water. Bring the soup to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 1-1.5 hours until beef is tender. Check on the soup every half hour and scoop away any impurities that you see.
- 4
After the broth has finished simmering, taste the soup for seasoning. If it tastes bland, add more salt or fish sauce until the soup tastes just right.
- 5
Ladle soup into a bowl. Top with mint and lime juice to finish it off. Eat with bread, rice, or rice noodles.