Vietnamese · Comfort food
Spicy Vietnamese Beef Stew with Noodles (Bò Kho)
A fragrant Vietnamese beef stew with lemongrass, warm spices, carrot, daikon, and a richly seasoned broth.
6servings25 minprep2 hrcookMediumheat
From Dianne's kitchen
A taste of Vietnam
Dianne first fell for Bò Kho while traveling through Vietnam, where the aroma of lemongrass and star anise filled the air.
Serve this comforting stew with rice noodles, rice, or a crusty baguette for soaking up every drop of broth.
What you'll need
Ingredients
- 1½–2 pounds beef stew meat or brisket, cut into chunks
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon annatto seeds, optional
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, cut into 3-inch lengths
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon five-spice powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder, optional
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 carrot, cut into chunks
- 1 daikon radish, cut into chunks
- 1 cup coconut water or beef stock
- 2 cups water
- 2 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 kaffir lime leaves
- Chili oil, Thai basil, cilantro, and noodles or baguette, for serving
Step by step
Instructions
- Season beef with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy pot and brown beef on all sides; remove and set aside.
- Sauté garlic, onion, and lemongrass in the same pot for about 3 minutes.
- Stir in fish sauce, soy sauce, sugar, tomato paste, five-spice, chili powder, paprika, and turmeric.
- Return beef to the pot. Add coconut water, water, star anise, cinnamon, and lime leaves. Bring to a boil, then simmer 1–1½ hours until tender.
- Add carrot and daikon; simmer about 30 minutes more until tender.
- Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove whole spices, lemongrass, and lime leaves.
- Serve over noodles or with baguette, chili oil, Thai basil, and cilantro.
Dianne's kitchen tip
Let the aromatics do their work
A gentle, slow simmer is what makes the beef tender and the broth deeply flavorful.
A baguette is the classic way to enjoy every bit of this fragrant broth.