Bò Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

What could be better than eating a bowl of Bò Kho (Vietnamese beef stew) in these cold days of Autumm. Bò Kho blends flavors of earthy spices and popular ingredients from all over Asia.  The lemongrass, ginger, garlic, shallots, star anise, and curry powder all spice up this warm, aromatic, comforting unique flavored beef stew. 

Beef shank, beef flank and beef chuck are the three types of beef used in the stew.  They are tough and chewy but  are perfect ingredients for bò kho.   Beef flank cuts has a layer of tendon on top, while  beef shank and beef chuck have lots of dense muscle tissues. After a long, slow stewing, these become very tender and impart a luxurious depth of flavor and texture.

Curry powder is also one of the important spices in the beef stew. Choose curry that includes a mixture of curry, turmeric, chili, coriander, cumin seeds, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, allspice and salt. 

A few weeks ago, I had an opportunity to cook for a group of 20 who came to our house for bible study. I cooked a 16 quart pot of bò kho and served it with bread and noodle. As I still have quite a few puff pastry sheets left in my freezer, I  decided to use them to make a few pot beef stew (similar to Pot Pie). My girls loved breaking down the flaky and light puff pastry crust and dipping it in the beef stew sauce. It was a good sign that an entire big pot of stew was quickly consumed. It was a good thing that I made a bunch of Pate Chauds to make sure my guests leave with satisfied tummies.

So the next time you need a cure for a cold, windy, rainy day, try on this Bò Kho recipe for size.

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RECIPE: Bò Kho

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

2 pounds beef chuck (bắp vai bò), cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks

2 pounds beef flank (nạm), cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks

2 pounds beef shank (bò bắp), cut in 1 1/2 inch chunks

16 cups or 4 quarts of water

6 lemongrass stalks

 1 large piece of ginger root

6 shallots  

3 garlic heads
9 star anise

1 1/2 tablespoons salt

9 tablespoons fish sauce

6 tablespoons soy sauce

6 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons curry powder

1 1/2 tablespoons chili flakes, optional

2 tablespoons annatto seeds, for annatto oil

1/2 cup oil, for annatto oil

12 carrots, cut into big chunks

3 sweet onions, cut into big chunks

A handful of basil leaves, for the broth

a bunch of cilantro, for garnish

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Directions

Bring a pot of water and 3/4 of lemongrass to a boil.

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Making Annatto Oil

Heat the oil and annatto seeds in a sauce pan over low heat for about 2-3 minutes. As the temperature rises, the red color will leach from the annatto seeds. Let it cool down for a few minutes, then strain and discard seeds.  Store it in a jar for later use.

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Toasting Star Anise

Place star anise in a small pan over medium low heat. Toast until fragrant.  Set aside. 

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Preparing Shallots, Garlics, Ginger Roots,  Lemongrass

Lemongrass - lightly crushed with a meat tenderize or the flat side of a knife, cut each into 3 pieces.

Shallots and Garlic - mince. Split shallots and garlic in half.  You will use half of shallots and garlic for sauteing the beef and the other half to make the curry paste.  

Ginger Root - cut into fine strips.  Make about 6 tablespoons.

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Sauteing Beef

Divide the meat into 3 batches if your skillet isn't large enough for one batch. Heat a tablespoon of annatto oil in a skillet. Add ginger, garlic and shallots and stir until slightly golden brown. Add the beef and stir until seared. 

beef flank

beef shank

beef chuck

Transfer seared meat into the boiling water pot. Add toasted star anise, fish sauce, soy sauce, salt and sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for about 1.5 hours or until the beef is tender. 

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Making Curry Paste

Heat about 1/4 cup  annatto oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the remaining shallots, garlic and stir until fragrant and slightly golden brown.

Add curry powder and chili flakes and stir for a few seconds until well blended. If you can’t take spiciness, decrease the amount of chili flakes or omit it.  Set aside.

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Simmering Stew

Thirty minutes before the beef is done, remove the star anise.  Add the remaining lemongrass, carrots, and onion.

Cook until carrots are tender. Add the curry paste and toss in the basil leaves. Cook for another 5 minutes.  Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, fish sauce, or sugar if necessary.

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Making Beef Stew Pot Pie 

In an oven safe bowl, add 2/3 bowl of beef stew. Place the puff pastry sheet over the top of the dish.

Brush the top with egg wash (1 egg + 1 teaspoon water or milk) and place in oven at the middle rack. Bake at 350° until pastry puffs turn golden, about 15 minutes.

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Presentation

Ladle beef stew in a shadow soup bowl. Garnish with cilantro and fresh basil leaves. Serve with toasted bread or noodle. Serve with salt, fresh black pepper, and lime dipping sauce for beef cubes.

Bon Appetite!

Bánh Bèo (Steamed Rice Cake)

These delicious Bánh Bèo is the Vietnamese version of tapas. They are made and served in these tiny ceramic plates, packed with enormous flavors. They are irresistible when you are sitting and waiting for them to come out of the steamer. The wonderful aroma brought on by the scallion oil, fried shallot, the gorgeous orange-colored shrimp paste, tiny cubes of crunchy fried pork fat (tép mỡ) or crispy croutons and savory fish sauce are to die for. 

You can divide these and politely eat them in halves or slurp the entire Bánh Bèo which is how I would prefer to eat them. Warning: You'll need a whole tray of these to curb your hunger. 

The Hue style of making and eating Bánh Bèo is steaming it in those cute little round ceramic plates then eating straight from them.  Some of the most important steps in making good Bánh Bèo includes creating a dimple in the center, which is perfect for holding bits of flavorful and savory ingredients; the dimpling is achieved by assuring that there is plenty of water in the steamer and maintaining adequately high heat. Secondly, pour just a thin layer of flour into each plate in order to get the right amount of softness and texture.  

Here my two models demonstrate how to enjoy a wonderful meal in ambience of the garden. They love these simple, delicate Bánh Bèo. After they finished, they would stack the empty plates high up.  Most of the time, they would compete with each other, counting the number of plates to see who can eat the most.

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RECIPE: Bánh Bèo

Printable Recipe

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Ingredients

For Bánh Bèo Batter
1 cup Rice Flour
1 tablespoons Tapioca Flour
2 cups Lukewarm Water
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 teaspoon Olive Oil or Oil

For Bánh Bèo Toppings
1 pound Shrimp, Shell on
3 Slices Sandwiches or Bread cut into small squares, for croutons or
Fried Fat Pork
1 bunch of scallions,  finely chopped
Fried Shallot, optional
1/2-1 tablespoon Annatto Oil (dầu hạt điều), optional
Salt
Oil

For Fish Sauce Dip
1 cup Shrimp Broth
1 1/2 tablespoons Fish Sauce
11/2 tablespoons Sugar
1-2 fresh red chilies, thinly sliced
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Preparing Bánh Bèo Batter

Rice Flour, Tapioca Starch, Salt and Oil

In a large mixing bowl, combine Bánh Bèo batter except oil and stir well until you achieve a fine liquid batter. 

Let it settle for a while until the water becomes clear. 

Pour the clear water to another bowl or a measurement cup. Make sure to measure the amount of water you poured out. Discard the water. Place back the same amount of clean water to the batter bowl. This process is to eliminate the smell of old flour.  

Add oil and allow the batter to sit for at least half an hour.  

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Preparing Shrimp Paste Topping

Bring 1 1/2 cups of water to boil.  Add shrimp and cook for about 5 minutes.  Remove shrimps then peel and reserve the shrimps broth.

Smash each shrimp with a meat tenderizer or the back of the knife. You can also pound shrimps in a mortar and pestle until crushed.

Place a frying pan on low heat, add the crushed shrimp. Season lightly with about 1/2-1 teaspoon fish sauce or a dash of salt and pepper. Use a spatula to stir and press the shrimp down for 5 minutes or until shrimps are completely dry and bluff.
Add annatto oil to enhance the beautiful orange color of cotton shrimp. Stir it well for another couple of minutes. Turn off heat and continue to stir fry for a further a minute.

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Preparing Croutons

Cut bread or sandwich into small squares.

Bring a frying pan with 1-2 tabespoons of  oil to medium heat.  Add pieces of sandwich to the hot oil.  Remove the croutons with a strainer when they are turning golden.  Place croutons on a paper towel to absorb the excess of oil.  

If prefer Fried Fat Pork (Tép Mỡ), click here for recipe.

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Preparing Scallion Oil

Our homegrown beautiful, lush green onions (scallions)

Place scallions and a dash of salt  in a bowl.  Heat a small sauce pan with 1 tablespoon of oil.  When hot, pour the hot oil into the scallions bowl.  Mix it well.  Set aside.

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Preparing Fish Sauce

Fish Sauce, Shrimp Broth and Sugar

Mix all the fish sauce ingredients.  Set aside.

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Steaming Bánh Bèo

Fill a steamer with 2/3 water and bring to rapid boil.  Place a full tray of plates to the steamer.  Stir the mix before each use.  Fill each plate just half way.  Cover and steam for about 3 minutes. 

Remove and allow to cool for a minute or two.  Repeat this process until batter is finished.
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Presentation

Top Bánh Bèo with scallion oil, shrimp paste, croutons or fried fat pork. 

Drizzle or flood with fish sauce. Scoop it out with a teaspoon and Enjoy!

Now let's see how many of these would fill you up!