Bò Kho

Bò Kho, Step by Step

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1. Heat the oil in a heavy pan and fry the annatto seeds for 1 minute, until the oil turns deep orange. Strain the seeds out and discard them.

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2. Brown the beef in the annatto oil in three batches, 4 minutes a batch. Lift out.

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3. Add the onions and fry 8 minutes, until golden.

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4. Stir in the garlic, ginger and tomato purée and cook 2 minutes.

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5. Return the beef with the lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon, bay, fish sauce, sugar and salt.

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6. Pour in the stock, bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on the lowest heat for 90 minutes.

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7. Add the carrots and simmer uncovered 30 minutes more, until the beef pulls apart and the sauce coats a spoon.

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8. Fish out the lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon and bay.

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9. Taste and correct the salt.

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10. Serve with Thai basil torn over and lime wedges alongside.

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Small Things That Help

• Annatto for colour — strain the seeds out after a minute.
• Beef shin, not braising steak.
• Carrots in for the last thirty minutes only.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Lemon is the everyday swap for lime in this kind of dish — the acidity plays the same role even though the flavour is not identical.
• If you only have ground ginger, a quarter-teaspoon for each tablespoon of fresh is the ratio usually given; it tastes warmer and less bright than the fresh root.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Suggestions

• A crusty baguette
• Flat rice noodles
• Iced Vietnamese coffee

Keeping and Reheating

Better the next day. Keeps 4 days refrigerated, freezes 3 months.

What's in a Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.