Bo Kho (Vietnamese Beef Stew)

When I was a kid, my favorite dish to order at one of the restaurants that we use to go out to was Bo Kho. I loved the smell of the stew. I loved breaking the fresh, warm french bread that came with the stew and dipping it into the stew to soak up all the flavors. The bread would be warm and dripping with broth that had a complex flavor of beef, star anise, lemon grass, cinnamon, and ginger. This was one of my fond childhood memory and as a parent I wanted my kids to enjoy that same memory.

This is now what of the staple recipes that we make in the winter. The warmth and smell of the stew is enough to warm us up on a  cold winter evening. It is definitely a comfort food in our household. This stew is often served during breakfast time as well as lunch and dinner. In my household, we tend to eat it with french bread, but it can also be served with bun (rice noodles). I find it best to make a nice, large pot and eat it throughout the week. Like many other stews, Bo Kho, taste better the next day when all the flavors of the stew has had time to mingle together.

Ingredients:
Marinated meat
2 lb beef shank, sliced in 1-1.5 inch chunks
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch ginger, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 Tbs paprika
3 Tbs fish sauce
1 Tbs sugar

Broth

3 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs Annatto seeds (hột điều màu)
5 cups beef broth, chicken broth, or water
3 bay leaves
4 star anise pods (đại hồi)
2 inch cinnamon stick
1 inch ginger, thinly sliced
2 Tbs tomato paste
2 tomatoes, diced
2 large carrots, sliced in 0.5 inch thickness
1 daikon, sliced in 0.5 inch thickness
1 onion, sliced in 1 inch chunk
2 stalk lemongrass, bruised with clever

Directions:

1. Marinate beef with seasoning for 30 minutes.
2. In a large pot over medium high heat olive oil and annatto seeds. Heat the oil until it is red in color. Do not overheat. Strain the seeds.
3. Add the beef to the flavored oil. Seared the meat.
4. Add diced tomatoes to the beef. 
5. In a stainless steel tea strainer, add cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, ginger slice, and star anise. (This will make it easier to remove later). Add the seasonings to the meat along with the lemongrass stalk.
6. Add broth to cover the meat and turned heat to low. Simmer the meat for 5 to 8 hours. (*I prefer chicken broth because that's what my mom use, but you can use water and add salt or beef broth)
7. Remove the lemongrass stalks, cinnamon stick, bay leaves, cloves, ginger slice, and star anise.
8. Add the onion, daikon, and carrots to pot. Simmer for an additional 2 hours. 
9. Serve with bread or noodles.

* If you would like to thicken up the broth, dissolve 1 Tbs of tapioca starch with 3 Tbs of water and add slowly to the broth.