Bo kho is the pot to make when the whole house is eating. The pleasure is in a broth made sweet and clear by coconut water, with beef that is tender but still has grain to it. The hard part is watching both heat and time, since the meat turns either chewy or falls to pieces.
The beef is blanched for 3 minutes in boiling water with salt, bruised ginger, sliced shallot and a stalk of lemongrass before it is marinated. The pieces are cut into 3.5cm cubes and no smaller, because the meat shrinks as it cooks.
This batch weighs about 4.7kg, at roughly 116 calories per 100g.
Method
Rinse the beef, blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes, rinse again, and cut into 3.5cm cubes.
Marinate the beef with half the minced shallot, half the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 tablespoons seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, 1 teaspoon MSG, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon curry powder, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1 teaspoon five spice powder, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1.5 tablespoons mai que lo and 2 tablespoons annatto oil. Leave for 3 to 4 hours.
Set a pot with 3 tablespoons cooking oil and fry the remaining shallot and garlic until fragrant.
Add the beef and stir for 5 minutes to seal the surface.
Add 10g cinnamon, 2 star anise, 4 bay leaves, 5 lemongrass stalks, 5g bruised ginger and 1 liter fresh coconut water, and cook over high heat for 30 minutes.
Pour in another liter of water, lower to medium heat, and cook for 50 minutes more.
Lift out the cinnamon, star anise, bay leaves, ginger and lemongrass, add 800g carrot and 300ml water, and cook for another 10 minutes.
Pour in the 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 4 tablespoons water slowly, stirring gently, until the broth thickens.
Stir in 120g onion, turn off the stove, and serve with banh mi.
Tips
Do not cut the beef too small, as the pieces shrink once cooked.
Blanch the beef for 3 minutes in boiling water with 1 teaspoon salt, 5g bruised ginger, 2 sliced shallots and 1 lemongrass stalk to clear the smell.
Lift out the cinnamon, star anise and bay leaf after forty minutes, as leaving them to the end turns the sauce bitter.
Pour the cornstarch slurry in slowly and stir gently, which is what thickens the sauce evenly without lumps.
Add the onion and turn off the stove straight away, so it stays crisp and fragrant.
Need kOBE Monk Fruit Blend?
The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.