Bò Kho

the Vietnamese beef stew that sits between a Chinese braise and a French daube: shin cooked slowly with lemongrass, annatto, and whole star anise until the sauce turns rust red and clings

Origin: Vietnam

From the journey of Star Anise.

Bò kho is the clearest dish in Vietnamese cooking for showing what star anise does to beef, and it is also a neat demonstration of how Vietnamese food came to be what it is. The technique is Chinese: kho is the family of slow braises in a caramel and fish-sauce base that runs through the whole cuisine. The ingredients include a French colonial layer, since the carrots, the bay, and the habit of eating it with bread rather than rice all arrived in the nineteenth century. And the aromatics are Vietnamese: lemongrass, fish sauce, and annatto for its rust-red colour. Star anise is the note that holds the three together. Vietnam grows the spice in Lạng Sơn and Cao Bằng, on the Chinese border, and uses it more confidently than almost anywhere outside China itself. In bò kho it goes in whole and stays in, four or five stars to a kilogramme of beef, and it does what it does in every long braise: it cuts the heaviness that hours of collagen and fat would otherwise leave, and gives the sauce a sweet resinous depth that reads as neither Chinese nor French but specifically Vietnamese. It is eaten three ways and all are correct: with a crusty bánh mì for dipping, which is the street breakfast; over rice noodles as bò kho bánh phở; or simply in a bowl with herbs. The one constant is a plate of Thai basil, coriander, and lime alongside, added by the eater.

Ingredients

Beef

1.2 kg beef shin or brisket, in 4 cm cubes

Marinade

3 tbsp fish sauce
2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into lengths
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp caster sugar
1 tsp five-spice powder

Braise

5 whole star anise
2 whole bay leaves
1 stick cassia bark, about 5 cm
2 tbsp annatto seeds, or 1 tbsp annatto oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato purée
400 ml coconut water
600 ml beef stock or water
4 medium carrots, cut into thick angled chunks
3 tbsp vegetable oil

To serve

1 handful Thai basil, coriander, and lime wedges, to serve
6 whole bánh mì rolls, to serve

Method

Toss the beef with the fish sauce, lemongrass, ginger, garlic, sugar, and five-spice. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight.
Warm the annatto seeds gently in the oil for two minutes until the oil turns deep orange, then strain out and discard the seeds.
Lift the beef from the marinade, reserving it, and brown the cubes hard in the annatto oil in batches. Set aside.
Cook the onion in the same pan for 8 minutes until soft and golden, stir in the tomato purée and cook two minutes, then return the beef with the reserved marinade.
Add the star anise, bay, cassia, coconut water, and stock. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook very gently for 1 hour 45 minutes.
Add the carrots and cook uncovered for a further 30 to 45 minutes, until the beef gives to a spoon and the sauce has reduced and thickened.
Taste and adjust with fish sauce or a pinch of sugar. Serve with bánh mì, and a plate of Thai basil, coriander, and lime.

Notes

Star anise is central and green anise or fennel will not substitute; the quantity given is deliberate. Beef shin is the ideal cut for its collagen, which is what gives the sauce body; brisket or chuck also work, and oxtail is excellent. Coconut water means the clear liquid from a young coconut, not coconut milk. Annatto seeds are sold in Latin American and South East Asian groceries; a teaspoon of sweet paprika gives an approximate colour. The stew keeps four days refrigerated and freezes for three months, improving throughout. Serve with bread for breakfast, with rice noodles for lunch, or over rice.

The Gastrographer

Name: Bò Kho
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Total time: 5 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Vietnam
Ingredients: 1.2 kg beef shin or brisket, in 4 cm cubes; 3 tbsp fish sauce; 2 stalks lemongrass, bruised and cut into lengths; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated; 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 1 tsp five-spice powder; 5 whole star anise; 2 whole bay leaves; 1 stick cassia bark, about 5 cm; 2 tbsp annatto seeds, or 1 tbsp annatto oil; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 tbsp tomato purée; 400 ml coconut water; 600 ml beef stock or water; 4 medium carrots, cut into thick angled chunks; 3 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 handful Thai basil, coriander, and lime wedges, to serve; 6 whole bánh mì rolls, to serve

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Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control