It’s stewing season. And while I love a good, simple, Julia-Child-style stew, I also like to get a bit complex. A bit spicy and fragrant. Bo kho hits all of those and then some. While it’s said to have French origins, this beef stew is in a league all of its own. Full of gelatin-rich beef stock, aromatic spices, hearty vegetables, and brightened with fresh herbs and lime juice, it’s a perfect nourishing dish to make on a grey day or a lazy Sunday.
Grass-fed Beef: Rich in Good Fats, Vitamins, Minerals and Antioxidants
In my household, we favor grass-finished beef over conventionally raised. I prefer the taste. I love supporting local farmers, and the extra nutritional benefits can’t be beat. Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is one of those bonus nutritional benefits. It’s a fatty acid that has a concentration 2-3 times higher in grass-fed beef than conventional. It has powerful antioxidant activity and may be protective for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. You may also notice that the fat in grass-fed meat has a yellow hue; that’s due to the high concentration of pigmented carotenoids which are precursors to vitamin A, necessary for vision, skin health, and creation of new blood cells. Grass-fed meat is also high in vitamin E, an antioxidant that is helpful for the immune system and a number of bodily functions. It’s higher in several minerals, including zinc, iron, phosphorus, sodium, and potassium. And lastly, it boasts more omega-3 content that grain-fed meat; anywhere from 2-5 times more. Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help with several brain disorders from depression to Alzheimer’s.
Gelatin-Rich Broth
Gelatin is the broken down collagen in bones and connective tissue. Think calf foot, beef tendon, oxtail, and knuckle bones. It’s the jiggly stuff that we’re (hopefully) left with after making a nourishing broth. In our modern diet of predominately muscle meats, we typically don’t get as much as we need. Gelatin is far higher in the amino acids proline and glycine, which are important for strong joints, a happy nervous system, resilient skin, and healthy gut and digestion. You can learn more about bone broth here.
Flavor-Rich Spices
I love whole spices. While pre-ground spices have their place (heck, I use one in this very recipe), whole spices are the clear winner. They retain their oils which means more flavor and prolonged freshness. The aroma is more pronounced and nuanced. I recommend finding whole star anise, cinnamon sticks, and annatto seeds. The first two will be fairly easy to find, while the annatto seeds may be accessible at a well stocked natural grocer or easily found online or at ethnic markets. Annatto seeds are very hard and bright red. Their flavor and aroma is fat-soluble, so in this recipe I draw that out by sautéing them in pastured lard. The lard turns vibrant ruby red and the smell is intoxicating. I’ve been wondering how to describe the flavor, but it’s sort of sweet, nutty, peppery, and deeply earthy — almost mossy. I like to make a large batch of the annatto oil and use it to spruce up rice dishes, soups, and stews. If you decide to make extra, it keeps in the fridge for about 2 months.
Vietnamese-Style Beef Stew (Bo Kho)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons lard
- 1 tablespoon annatto seeds
- 4 medium shallots finely chopped
- 2 Thai chilies finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons grated ginger
- 4 lemongrass stalks trimmed of tough parts and crushed
- 2 whole star anise
- 1 Ceylon cinnamon stick
- 2 1/2 pounds beef chuck trimmed and cubed
- 1 teaspoon five spice powder
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 2 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- 3 cups beef bone broth
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 3 carrots chopped
- 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes peeled and cubed
- Thai Basil to serve
- Limes to serve
Instructions
- Heat lard in a heavy pot , I prefer enameled cast iron, over high heat. Once the lard is melted, lower to medium heat and add annatto seeds. Sauté in fat for 2-3 minutes until very fragrant, careful of any seeds that pop and stirring constantly. Strain seeds from aromatic fat and allow to cool before tossing out. Leave the lard in the pot.
- Heat annatto fat on medium high and add chopped shallots, allow to get some color, about 5 minutes. Lower heat a little and add chopped chiles, grated garlic, grated ginger. Stir like crazy to release the flavors into the oil. Careful not to let the paste burn, about 4 minutes. Then add whole bruised lemongrass stalks, star anise, and cinnamon stick and sauté for 2 additional minutes.
- Add beef and stir to coat with spice mixture. Add Chinese five spice, tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, palm sugar, fish sauce, and warmed beef broth. Stir well and bring to boil, then lower and cover and let cook for 2 hours. At the 2 hour mark, add onion, carrot, and potatoes and continue to cook for another hour uncovered. Vegetables should be cooked through and meat fork-tender. If a thicker sauce is desired, increase heat to medium and cook for 30 more minutes. Taste and add salt as needed.
- Remove lemongrass, star anise, and cinnamon stick before serving and serve stew with fresh Thai basil, cilantro, and lime wedges.
Niki Brodie says
I have cooked this recipe several time with both beef and chicken and every time it’s a winner! I couldn’t find anatto seeds so I just simply fried the shallots in vegetable oil and then followed the rest of the recipe. Love it!
Lauren says
Made it tonight- slightly modified- it was delicious!
StayC says
Made this in the crock pot. The house smelled good enough to eat. The meal turned out fantabulous. Can’t wait to make it again. Thanks for the recipe.
Sarah Atshan says
Perfect! You are very welcome. So glad it worked out in the crock pot. Now that I have been reunited with my pressure cooker, I’m going to give it a go in that.
Stacey says
Anyone ever make this using a slow cooker? How did it turn out?
Sarah Atshan says
Hi Stacey,
No sorry, I haven’t. But if you give it a try please report back.
Susan says
You can find annatto seeds in the Goya section of your local supermarket. Much less $$$$.
Ruth says
Also, Kudos to Sarah as I believe this is your recipe? I am local to you actually, and your blog-spot is also terrific!
Thanks again. Our family just went on and on about this delicious dish last night… 😉
Sarah Atshan says
Hey Ruth,
Yes my recipe. 🙂
Thank you! So glad that you and the fam liked it. And nice to know that the turmeric and paprika worked out. I actually just moved out of the DC area. (I miss MOM’s- My Organic Market) But there are lots of great Asian grocery stores there. I hope you try it out with the annatto and let me know how it compares.
Ruth says
WOW! I just served this tonight for dinner. I’ve been a HUGE Nourished Kitchen fan for years and Jenny’s recipes are
always amazing. A few things I did differently. I used chicken fat drippings I had in the fridge for the base oil–and i used turmeric and paprika instead of annatto seed which I could not find. (We don’t use pork products in our family, so chicken fat, or when appropriate, butter or olive oil are our general oil choices. ) I followed the rest of the recipe to the letter and served the stew on Kale Sprouts–which are a hybrid of brussels sprouts and kale–I happened to find a bag in Trader Joes and gave them a try. This is a perfect dish for a cold winter night..and leftovers will be yummy in school lunch boxes and at home. Love this dish!
cd says
I made this for Super Bowl Sunday, if you can believe it!!! Accompanied with stir fired baby bok choy! Everyone loved it!
My local Whole Foods didn’t have annatto seeds, but DID have annatto POWDER. I figured I could make it work, so I moved with caution, adding 1 teaspoon of the powder to the hot lard. Gave it a nice reddish color and seemed fine to me!
I read on the web that you can substitute saffron, smoked paprika or turmeric ( maybe a spice blend of these…) if annatto is totally unavailable in your area.
Thanks for this style of stew. I feel confident that I could experiment with the basic foundation and do one with pork or chicken now!
Sarah Atshan says
Oh, I’m so glad to hear that the Super Bowl crowd loved it. I suppose it could be interpreted as a twist on braised beef chili. 🙂 Nice to know that the powder worked for you. I’m not sure if saffron, smoked paprika or turmeric (or a combo) would work well as a replacement. I would say skip it all together if you can’t find annatto. Asian or Latin grocery stores are great places to find it too.
Thanks!
Sarah
Rachel Relin says
This recipe looks wonderful. planning to try it today…Any thoughts on an alternative to lard? I was wondering what might be healthy and tasty. I just can’t bring myself to use lard after growing up kosher!
Sarah Atshan says
Hi Rachel,
Lard is definitely healthy and tasty. But if you are keeping kosher, I would suggest coconut oil or even chicken/duck fat.
Good luck and let me know how you liked it.
Libia Chavez says
Stock annato oil maybe preparef be heating vegetsble oil orlard then add the annato seeds. Stir and continur to heat at low for about 5 minutes then take off from heat. Allow the seeds to steep in the hot oil
Store in e container with the seeds, just decant the annato oil for use.
Joshua Hampton says
I love Vietnamese dishes. These beef stew looks amazing.
Sarah Atshan says
Thank you Joshua, Vietnamese food is one of my favorite cuisines.
Mona klassen says
This is lovely.. Fervent bone broth maker now. Always made loads of soup stock but never cookd so long. Always ran bones through twice at 4 or 5 hours each. 83 years old and think it’s lovely to learn from young ones,
Good for you ! Bought my first slow cooker for my wild bones. Works great night and day.! Lots of game bones
Here in beautiful British Columbia. My husband and I drink 2 or 3 cups a day. Sure beats tea or coffee. Lots of kind
Thoughts to you. teach everyone everything you can. It makes a difference!!!!!
Mellisa says
I also live in bc !! This is now my fav go to sight !! Love love love this sight !!
Robbie says
Jenny its marvellous you
Provide so
Many ingredients to your American readers.. It makes us here in Australia rather depressed that we don’t have access to these wonderful foods..( for eg lard)
You def need to open a shop here as well?
Heather says
Robbie, lard is just rendered pork fat…. You must be able to find it there …. Maybe just by a different name? Or, substitute some other healthy fat.
Conda says
I always found lard in the Safeway stores is Australia.
Vikki says
Hi Robbie, I’m in Melbourne. I buy my lard in Safeway. It’s usually on top-ish shelves left of the butters.
Maybe phone your local Safeway and see if they stock it.
Briana says
I love Bo Kho so much!! I’m thankful annatto grows in Hawaii, it’s known as lipstick plant here. Mahalo for posting this recipe :]
Sarah Atshan says
Aloha Briana,
I was just in Maui and loved all the fresh fruit and seafood. You are very lucky. Hope you enjoy. <3
Romeo says
I tried your link to the Annatto Seeds, however, it doesn’t appear that they have them. Can you tell me what culture Annatto seeds are? Are they Vietnamese? Spanish?
Thanx
Joan says
Try Starwest Botanicals. They definitely have them.
Sarah Atshan says
Hi Romeo,
They are used in both Latin & Southeast Asian cuisines. You could see what Amazon has and if that doesn’t work, you will be able to find them at an Asian grocery store.
Thanks,
Sarah
Lan says
I’m Vietnamese and glad that you’re featuring a Vietnamese dish (that I love). 🙂
Jenny says
Traditional Vietnamese cooking is really, exceptionally good. It has the technique of classical French cooking and that wonderful punch of spice and herbs. LOVE it.