I often disappointed everytime I took my friends to a Vietnamese restaurant. My friend always wanted to try the bò kho but I never wanted to recommend it to then because those bò Kho at the restaurants cannot even hold a candle to our family recipe. So I told my friend that I will cook for them and show them how to cook it at home. They will never want to have the restaurant version of the bò kho any more.

Ingredients (for two or there serving)

– 2 pounds of mixed beef such as beef stew meat, oxtail or beef ribs. We always need some fatty cut of meat for the stew.

– Lemongrass, garlic, onion, carrot and chilies and pearl onion if you have them, if not, normal white onion is good too.

Spice: you can mix the spices yourself or buying the remix pack at any Vietnamese market. This brand is very popular in the USA: Kim Tu Thap – Pyramide

Oriental Vietnamese Beef Stew Spices Seasoning (Pack of 3) – Gia Vi Nau Bo Kho https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NI2Z278/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kHUUBb9TBB00B

First, brown the beef in a thick pot with some oil then transfer it into a different container. In the same pot, stir-fry the garlic, onion, and lemongrass until they release their aroma and turn into a light brown color, add the meat back in and stir them together. Next, add the seasoning, mix them well together. You can add a cup of water to prevent them to stick to the pot. Next, add some hoisin sauce (some family use fish sauce). Next, add the coconut water with water to cover the meat then let it stew in medium to low heat (at this point, you can transfer them into the slow cooker or the instant pot).

When the meat near to be tendered, add carrots and pearl onions. The cooking time will be different between the type of meats and the cooking devices. Testing it is the only way to tell. Season them again with salt and sugar for a balance taste.

I hope you will give it a try and feel free to message me for any question. 😄