Just these three basic ingredients can create a remarkable transformation.
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While my father’s family is from northern Vietnam, he and my grandmother, Ah Ma, often enjoyed the dishes of southern Vietnam, such as bò kho (Vietnamese beef stew). Growing up, I especially loved the nuanced flavors in bò kho, thanks to its lovely mix of ingredients such as star anise, lemongrass, and fish sauce. The three work well together to add depth and aroma to the broth. Bò kho can also be spicy with chilies cooked in the broth or served with Thai chili peppers.
You can enhance nearly any beef stew recipe by incorporating the flavorful ingredients characteristic of bò kho. When preparing more Western-style beef stews that tended to be somewhat bland or overly sweet for my palate (thanks to the onions and carrots), I decided to blend bò kho elements into the broth for a richer taste.
Three Key Components for an Improved Beef Stew
Star anise adds aroma, slight pepperiness, and earthy undertones. Fish sauce amps up all the umami in the stew, and it’s already my go-to beef stew upgrade. As for lemongrass, it brings a citrusy aroma and herbaceousness. Together, these three ingredients will take almost any beef stew to new heights.
How to Infuse Your Beef Stew with Vietnamese Flavors
To start, use your favorite beef stew recipe as the base. You can incorporate the lemongrass, fish sauce, and star anise in a few ways. One way is to marinate the beef with lemongrass and fish sauce while reserving the star anise (two to three pods) to incorporate directly into the broth. Mince the lemongrass and grind it into a paste to marinate the beef (use a mortar and pestle or small food processor). Then, save the marinade and add it to the broth as well.
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Another method involves chopping the lemongrass stalk into smaller sections and incorporating it into the broth with the star anise. Toward the end of the cooking process, mix in the fish sauce, starting with approximately one tablespoon. Taste the broth to determine if you want to add more. Prior to serving the beef stew, feel free to remove the lemongrass stalks and pieces of star anise.
Having given your beef stew a Vietnamese spin, consider serving it with steamed white rice instead of bread or mashed potatoes. Finally, for spicy food lovers, don’t forget the Thai chili peppers or a squirt of sriracha. As you enjoy it, I hope it brings as much warmth to your dinner table as it has to mine.
Every savory spoonful of bò kho-inspired beef stew wraps around me like the comforting embrace of my late father and Ah Ma. I can almost see them at my dinner table, their spirits alive in the aromatic steam that wafts from the stew, infused with the flavors of their beloved Vietnam.
