Bo Kho (Vietnamese Braised Beef Stew)

This was very delicious. Thank you David for the recipe. My feedback would be: 1) Instead of mincing the lemongrass, just cut stalks into long pieces, smash with the back of a knife. 2) Place the lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon stick, and split pepper in a piece of tied cheesecloth, making it simple to extract when finished. 3) Forget rice, potatoes, etc. and go with the suggested crusty baguette!

I made this last night in my Instant Pot. I added another serrano (unnecessary), just two star anise pods, used lemongrass paste from a tube, and the whole can of tomatoes. The store was out of shallots, so I used red onion as suggested (faster and cheaper). Cooked it on the “Meat/Stew” setting (45 minutes, 15-minute release). Following a reader’s suggestion, I added bok choy at the end (will use more next time and maybe bamboo shoots and/or water chestnuts and/or Asian mushrooms?). Delicious!

I thought the dish needed a bit more punch and a bit more liquid for all the beef and carrots, so I reduced eight cups of beef stock to six (in lieu of the four cups of water). I also added about an eighth-cup of soy sauce. It was freakin' delicious! Will absolute save this one for another go-'round.

Overall very tasty. I didn't use any star anise as a small amount is overpowering for me. Even with leaving that out, the amount of anise in the Chinese 5-spice powder was still very dominant and the spices were yelling a bit loud instead of singing harmoniously with the other ingredients. I would likely cut that spice in half next time. I kind of wish this had more vegetable presence outside of the carrots and onions. I may experiment with adding in something green like bok choy at the end.

Growing up we used to serve this with a small bowl of lime juice, lots of pepper, and a pinch of salt to dip the beef in for some brightness. Think individual soy sauce bowls for sushi. Replacing the water with beef stock is a must for me too so that the baguette can soak up extra goodness.

This dish was absolutely delicious. I used generous amounts of freshly grated ginger and extra chopped garlic cloves. The beef came out very tender and delicious. I served this with french bread and a glass of red wine. Fabulous!

I used lemongrass paste that comes in a tube. Worked for me.

I added a tablespoon of rice vinegar and soy sauce to the marinade and three tablespoons of tomato paste to the simmer, substituted beef broth in for water, kept lemon grass in a tea infuser throughout cooking so it could be easily removed (which was helpful because it never got soft enough to chew, even after ~2 hours of low simmer), and let the carrots cook for about 30 mins total. More 5-spice to taste. Broth was thick and flavorful! Looking forward to leftovers. Will make again!

I made this over the weekend, followed the recipe exactly. Prepping all the ingredients took me a bit of time. The marinade is really more like a rub for the beef. It smelled great while cooking and tasted wonderful. The suggested garnishes are a must, as they offer a cool contrast to the warm spices the beef and carrots have been cooking in. Next time I'll make rice to soak up the delicious broth/sauce. We loved the different flavor of this beef stew. Another great David Tanis recipe!

I made this in an Instant Pot, high pressure for 30 min to cut down cooking time. It came out perfect. For the marinade, added a little oil to help it coat the meat. Also experimented with adding garam masala to the marinade, since related to the 5-spice mix, and ground Sichuan pepper with the carrots, resulting in even more umami. Consider adding rice noodles to make pho bo kho. Ho Ho!

I made this last night and was extremely happy with the result. Add the white turnips, cut up into 1/4" pieces. 2 Thai chilis really gave it a kick. I served it over rice noodles and I thought I was in Viet Nam. Never been there though. Warning - you don't have to change anything. I am fortunate to have an H mart 5 minutes from my house in Yonkers, so finding anything is a breeze. Red Boat fish sauce is also available at Fairway and Whole Foods.

I like the flavors, much lighter than traditional French soups. The proportions seem a bit off - there's no way that much marinade covers 3lbs of beef. I doubled it and was still a little short. I really don't think 1 cup of tomato is enough - maybe add tomato paste? Broth was a little weak, will probably try chicken stock instead or just braise in oven for much longer and let it concentrate.

This recipe is a keeper. Agree with other cooks here that the fresh herbs are a must at the end. Next time, I might try substituting beef stock for the water for even more flavor.

Tanis doesnt say this is a soup, but a stew, and dont see anywhere that Marinade should cover beef, but is massaged into the meat. Anyway, have not made this, but sounds so delicious.

We loved this recipe. I will make it again. The market did not have lemongrass so I substituted lemon rind. I also added potatoes. Delicious.