Vietnamese Beef Stew with Rice Noodles / Pho Bo Kho
Bò Kho is one of my go-to dishes during the colder months, thanks to its rich, hearty flavors and its ability to warm you from the inside out. While traditional bo kho is typically served with a Vietnamese baguette, my recipe pairs it with the same noodles you would find in pho. The rice noodles
- Prep time
- 1 hr 30 min
- Cook time
- 2 hr
- Yield
- 6 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 lbs Beef Shank
- 2 lbs Beef Tendon
- 32 oz Thick Rice Stick Noodles
- 6-8 Large Carrots
- 2 tbsp Bo Kho Seasoning
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp Annatto Seed Oil
- 1 tsp Salt
- 4-5 Quarts Water
- 2 tbsp Annatto Seed Oil
- 1 Small Minced Shallot
- 2 tbsp Minced Garlic
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 12 oz Coco Rico
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2 tbsp MSG
- 1 inch nub Rock Sugar
- 2 tbsp Bo Kho Seasoning
- 3 tbsp Fish Sauce
- 3 Stalks Lemongrass
- 1/2 Onion
- 2 inch Nub Ginger
- 1 Cinnamon Stick
- 2 Star Anise
- 3 Bay Leaves
- Green Onions
- Cilantro
Instructions
- 1
Beef Shank:
- 2
Parboil beef shank in boiling water for 5-10 minutes to reduce odor and remove impurities. Drain and rinse with cold tap water. Cut into 1-inch pieces pieces.
- 3
Add cut beef shank and marinade with bo kho seasoning, soy sauce, annatto seed oil, and salt in a mixing bowl. Marinate in the fridge covered for a minimum of one hour, but overnight for the best effect
- 4
Beef Tendon:
- 5
Parboil beef tendon in a pot of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water. Add the cleaned tendon to a pot of boiling water with salt and precook the tendon for 60 minutes. Tendon takes longer to cook than the beef shank, so we'll precook the tendon before adding it to the beef stew. Remove the tendon from the pot, let it cool down, and cut 1/2-3/4" inch pieces. Tendon will expand when it cooks, so we want to cut these a little bit smaller than the cuts of beef shank
- 6
Stew:
- 7
In a big pot, add annatto seed oil, and sauté minced shallots and garlic until fragrant
- 8
Add tomato paste, and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Add marinated beef shank and cut tendon to the pot. Add in a whole can of Coco Rico, and then 4-5 quarts of water
- 9
Bring that up to a boil and skim off the impurities, and then lower the heat and simmer covered
- 10
Aromatics:
- 11
Char half an onion, ginger slices, cinnamon stick, and star anise in a dry pan
- 12
Cut stalks of lemongrass in half, remove the woodsy outer layer, and using the blunt end of your knife or cleaver, bruise the lemongrass
- 13
Add charred onion, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, lemongrass, and bay leaves to a spice bag/sachet. Then, add the bag of aromatics to the pot
- 14
Seasoning and Final Touches:
- 15
Once you've put the aromatics into the pot, add soy sauce, rock sugar, MSG, and more bo kho seasoning. Let this simmer on low for 60-90 minutes or until the beef shank is mostly tender
- 16
Add in peeled and cut carrots, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes, or until the carrots reaches your desired doneness
- 17
At the end, season with fish sauce and adjust any other seasonings to taste
- 18
Serve:
- 19
Blanch rice stick noodles in boiling water for 10 seconds. Add to a bowl
- 20
Ladle over beef shank, tendon, carrots and broth
- 21
Garnish with sliced green onions and cilantro. Enjoy!