Bo Khon (Vietnamese Beef Stew)
Asian, Soup & Chili
Ingredients
- 2 lbs beef shanks, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 1 shallots, minced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, sliced
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 3-4 cups beef stock
- 3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into chunks
- 4 carrots, cut into chunks
- 4 lemongrass stalks, cut into 3-inch lengths
- 1/2 can natural coconut flavored soda or 7-Up
- 3 star anise
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 Tbsp (+ 1 tsp) Kosher salt
- 1 Tbsp (plus 1 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp fish sauce
- 1 Tbsp Chinese Five Spice
For the garnish:
- Thai bird chili
- Thai basil leaves
- Wedges of lime
Description
Bo Kho, simply known as beef stew, is one of many Vietnamese cuisines that you must try! This stew is usually cooked for a couple of hours but I have decided to try and cut that time in half using my Instant Pot. It is tender, juicy, and is filled with a rich savory-umami-sweet aromatic flavor. What I love about this stew is that you can enjoy it with a toasted French Baguette or with vermicelli noodles. I hope you enjoy Bo Kho as much as I do, so let’s start cooking.
Directions
1. Heat a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat. Add in your cooking oil and beef shanks once hot. Sear your beef shanks until golden brown and remove from the pot to a bowl.
2. Add sliced white onions and minced shallots to the mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes until the onions are caramelized. Slowly stir with a wooden spoon.
3. Add minced garlic, ginger, and spices - star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, fennel seeds, salt and ground black pepper. Stir for 2 minutes, then add the tomato paste, and stir for another minute.
4. Fill 3/4 of the pot with beef stock, and add the sliced lemongrass stalks. Pour in coconut flavored soda as well.
5. Add sliced chunks of carrots, potatoes, brown sugar, light soy sauce, fish sauce, and season with the remaining salt and black pepper. Then, add beef chunks back into the pot.
6. Cover pot with lid, turn down to simmer, and cook for an hour. The beef should be tender and fall apart when poked with a fork.
7. Remove the lid, and optionally remove the lemongrass, star anise, bay leaves, and cinammon stick. Garnish with Thai bird chili and basil leaves. Squeeze some lime if you like as well. Enjoy!