Bò Kho, Vietnamese Stew made with Bear Shank

Bò Kho goes under classic special occasion dishes from Vietnam, and this is a version made with braised bear shank and brisket instead of the traditional beef. You can make it extra rich and add a bone shank cut to expose the marrow.

There are many ways to make bo kho, and recipes adapted to popular regionally and readily available. Some bizarre adaptions have ketchup, sprite soda, hoisin and soy sauce. My mom buys a pre-mixed spice blend, while my stepmom swears by a pre-mix spice paste. I decided to go with whole ingredients and make the seasoning mixture and tomato paste from scratch.

HOT HOT HOT Cooking Tips

The Cut of Meat

Purists will always use deboned shank meat, but cuts with marbled fat, tendons and silver skin will work well. Any kind of red meat will taste great!

Grating Ginger

If you’re like me, you enjoy the taste of ginger but don’t like biting into a fibrous chunk, I suggest grating the ginger using a Microplane grater.

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Bò Kho, Vietnamese Beef Stew

Yield: 4

Author: Jenny Ly

Prep time: 1 HourCook time: 6 HourInactive time: 30 HourTotal time: 37 Hour

Classic Vietnamese beef stew made with tender chunks of bear shank meat and carrots.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds deboned bear shank, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 3 stalks of lemongrass, discard ends and outer layer, cut into 2 or 3 pieces cross-wise, and gently smash with end of knife
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 2 tablespoons ginger, grated
• 1.5 teaspoons of Chinese 5-spice powder
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons of fat or oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups of fresh tomatoes, deseeded and diced
• 1 teaspoon salt (or a mixture of Salt, MSG and Chinese Chicken stock power)
• 2 bay leafs
• 4-star anise pods
• 3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
• Garnishes: cilantro, green onion, Thai basil, and lime wedges
• Served with: Pho Rice noodles or Vietnamese-style French bread

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, marinate 2lbs deboned bear shanks with lemongrass pieces, 3 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tbsp grated ginger, 3 cloves minced garlic, 1.5 tsp Chinese 5-spice powder, 2 tsp brown sugar. Let it marinate overnight or for at least 30 minutes.
2. Using a large pot add 2 tbsp oil at a time and get it simmering hot. Working in small batches, sear the meat and let it rest on a plate. Reserve marinade, lemongrass and bay leaf in the marinade bowl for later.
3. In the same pot with all the brown bits from searing meat, add 1 tbsp oil and 1 minced onion, and cook until the raw smell is gone and it's just starting to brown, for 10 minutes. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, and cook for another 5 minutes. Once onions and garlic are soft, add 2 cups of diced tomatoes and 1 tsp salt (or any combination of salt, MSG and chicken stock powder). Let it cook for 15-20 minutes until a paste forms. Add a few drops of water to prevent burning.
4. Once the tomato paste forms, add the seared meat, juices from the plate, marinade bowl, lemongrass, 2 bay leaves, and 4 star anise pods into the pot. Add enough water until the meat is under an inch of liquid and let it come to a boil, then town it down to low heat and cook for 4 to 5 hours. Add the carrots in the last hour to ensure they don't completely fall apart.
5. Stovetop pressure cooker method: Add the carrots (along with the meat) and let it cook for about 50 minutes.
6. When all the shank and carrots are tender, taste and adjust the seasoning with more salt or fish sauce. Lastly, scoop out the lemongrass, bay leaf and star anise pods.
7. Serve in bowls with Vietnamese-style french bread or rice noodles. Garnish with minced green onion, cilantro, Thai basil, and a squeeze of lime.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @chasingfoodclub on instagram and hashtag it # chasingfood

A shout out to my dear friend John Gustafson at Bear Paw Taxidermy for helping me get in front of my first spring bear.

Happy Cooking!

Jenny