Bo Kho

Ingredients

Beef and marinade

• 1.2 kgbeef shin or brisket, cut into 4 cm cubes
• 1 stalklemongrass, tender core only, finely minced
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 2shallots, minced
• 2 tbspfish sauce
• 1 tbspsugar
• 1 tspfive-spice powder
• 2 tspcurry powder
• 1 tspground black pepper

Annatto oil

• 3 tbspneutral oil
• 1 tbspannatto seeds

Stew

• 2 tbsptomato paste
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 500 mlcoconut water
• 500 mlwater or light beef stock
• 2 stalkslemongrass, bruised and knotted
• 2star anise
• 1bay leaf
• 4carrots, cut on a steep diagonal into thick pieces
• 1 tspsalt

To serve

• 4baguettes, or 400 g fresh egg noodles
• Thai basil
• sawtooth coriander, shredded
• lime wedges
• bird’s eye chillies, sliced

Directions

1. Toss the beef with the minced lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, five-spice, curry powder and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, and overnight if you can, because this stew takes almost all of its aromatic character from the marinade rather than from the pot.
2. Warm the oil with the annatto seeds over the lowest heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the oil turns deep orange, then strain out and discard the seeds. Let the seeds scorch and the oil turns brown and bitter instead of red and neutral.
3. Brown the beef hard in the annatto oil in batches, leaving space around each piece. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and the meat releases its liquid and stews grey.
4. Return all the beef to the pot, add the tomato paste and chopped tomatoes, and fry for 3 minutes until the paste darkens to brick red and stops smelling raw.
5. Pour in the coconut water and water, and add the knotted lemongrass stalks, star anise and bay leaf. Coconut water, not coconut milk: bo kho is a clear-broth stew and the milk would turn it into a curry.
6. Bring to a bare simmer, cover, and cook very gently for 2 hours, skimming the fat off the surface two or three times. The beef is ready when a spoon pressed against a cube parts it without effort.
7. Add the carrots and cook uncovered for a final 30 minutes, until tender but still holding their shape. Carrots put in at the start collapse into the broth and thicken it into a sludge.
8. Fish out the lemongrass stalks and star anise. Taste and correct with fish sauce for salt and a pinch of sugar for balance; it should be savoury and lightly sweet rather than sharp.
9. Rest the stew off the heat for 15 minutes, then serve in bowls with a baguette for dipping or over egg noodles, with the herbs, lime and chilli handed round separately.

Technique

• The annatto is for colour and almost nothing else. Skipping it gives a stew that tastes right but looks brown and dull.
• Bo kho is better on the second day, once the five-spice has settled back into the broth.
• The baguette is not an affectation. It is the standard accompaniment in southern Vietnam and it is what the sauce is built to be mopped up with.

Substitutions

• Sweet paprika in place of annatto, for colour only.
• Oxtail or beef cheek instead of shin, adding an hour to the simmer.
• Plain water plus 1 tbsp sugar if coconut water is unavailable.

Variations

• Mì bò kho, served over wheat egg noodles.
• Hủ tiếu bò kho, over flat rice noodles.
• A pressure cooker version, 45 minutes at pressure, with the carrots added after releasing.

History

Beef stewed with lemongrass, star anise and annatto, eaten with baguette; a southern dish shaped by French colonial cooking.

Frequently asked questions

What is Bo Kho?

Bo Kho is a soup & stew from Vietnam: lemongrass beef stew mopped up with baguette. Beef stewed with lemongrass, star anise and annatto, eaten with baguette; a southern dish shaped by French colonial cooking.

How long does Bo Kho take to make?

Bo Kho takes 30 min plus 4 hr marinating of preparation and 2 hr 30 min of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.

What can I substitute in Bo Kho?

Yes, within limits. Sweet paprika in place of annatto, for colour only. Oxtail or beef cheek instead of shin, adding an hour to the simmer. Plain water plus 1 tbsp sugar if coconut water is unavailable.

What is the most important thing to get right in Bo Kho?

Toss the beef with the minced lemongrass, garlic, shallots, fish sauce, sugar, five-spice, curry powder and pepper. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours, and overnight if you can, because this stew takes almost all of its aromatic character from the marinade rather than from the pot.