beef stew vietnamese style (Bo Kho)

Beef stew was served with flat noodles almost always at breakfast time in Vietnam. If you ate in a restaurant, you would be served French bread alongside. For breakfast on the run, it would be served inside hollowed-out sections of French bread.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 tsp five-spice powder
• 1/4 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp dried crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 lbs lean stew beef cubes
• 2 tbsp oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 5 cups water
• 5 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 1 stalk lemongrass, stripped of outer leaves, cut in half and smashed
  
  Garnish and sides (optional - to taste):
• 1 lb flat rice noodles OR loaf of French bread
• 5 sprigs basil
• 1/2 green onion, thinly sliced
• lime or lemon quarters
• hoisin sauce

Preparation:

• In a large bowl, mix together five-spice powder, curry powder, red pepper flakes, salt, tomato paste and oyster sauce. Marinate beef in this mixture for 15 minutes.
• Heat oil in a large soup pot and stir-fry garlic and onion until browned.
• stir in marinated beef and conitnue to stir-fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
• Pour in water and bring to a boil.
• Use a ladle to skim foam.
• Add carrots and lemongrass, and simmer stew over medium heat until beef chunks are tender - approximately one hour.
• (If using noodles). Meanwhile cook noodles in boiling water for five minutes, or until white and soft. Rinse and drain.
• to serve: Serve stew with flat rice noodles and/or French bread.
• Garnish with basil and green onion.
• Pass lime or lemon quarters and hoisin sauce.

Notes:

• this was good... and we would make it again.
• we used lime & green onions for our toppings
• we didn't have a baguette, but our double-cheese onion bread went well with it.

Country:

vietnam

Prepared: 2011-01-09

Categories: Beef
International

Makes: 4 servings

Recipe Source: The Vietnamese Cookbook