Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

Slow-simmered lean beef chuck in an aromatic Asian broth delivers high-quality protein, ideal for muscle recovery.

Ingredients

Calories next to each ingredient are for that ingredient across the whole recipe (4 servings), not per serving.

• 630 g (1.39 lbs) beef chuck, trimmed of fat and cut into bite-sized cubes · 1462 kcal in the whole recipe
• 2 medium carrots (200 g), cut into thick chunks · 82 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 medium onion (110 g), chopped · 44 kcal in the whole recipe
• 4 cloves garlic (16 g), minced · 24 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger (10 g) · 8 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tsp olive oil (5 g) · 44 kcal in the whole recipe
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (34 g) · 33 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1.5 tbsp fish sauce (27 g) · 9 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar (5 g) · 19 kcal in the whole recipe
• 60 g (2.1 oz) dry rice noodles · 218 kcal in the whole recipe
• 2 stalks fresh lemongrass, bruised; 2 whole star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder, water, salt and black pepper

Method

1. Marinate the beef chuck cubes with Chinese five-spice powder, grated ginger, minced garlic, brown sugar, and fish sauce for 15 minutes.

   

2. Heat olive oil in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, sear the beef cubes until browned, then add chopped onion and tomato paste and saute for 2 minutes.

   

3. Add bruised lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon stick, and enough water to cover the meat; bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 60 minutes.

   

4. Add carrot chunks and simmer covered for another 20 minutes until the beef and carrots are completely tender, then discard the lemongrass and star anise.

   

5. Boil dry rice noodles in a separate pot for 4 minutes, drain, divide into bowls, and ladle the hot beef stew over them to serve.

   

A Besly kitchen recipe — portions, macros and step photos by Besly.