Dinner · 90 min · vietnamese

Bo Kho

A Vietnamese dinner built around beef chuck and lemongrass — on the table in 90 minutes. Each serving lands at 700 calories with 54g of protein, so it eats like a much heavier meal. No specialty equipment and nothing hard to find at a regular grocery store.

✓ USDA-verified nutrition data

Ingredients

• 2.5 lb Beef chuck
• 3 stalks Lemongrass
• 1 2-inch piece Fresh ginger
• 6 cloves Garlic
• 3 Star anise
• 1 Cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp Five-spice powder
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 1/4 cup Fish sauce
• 2 tbsp Sugar
• 4 Carrots
• 1 Yellow onion
• 2 cups Coconut water
• 1/2 cup Cilantro
• 1/2 cup Thai basil
• 1 Lime
• 1 Crusty baguette

Steps

1. Cut the beef into 2-inch chunks. Big pieces shrink down to perfect spoon-size after braising; small ones dry out.
2. Toast the star anise and cinnamon in a dry pot until fragrant, then add oil, bruised lemongrass, ginger, and garlic. Fry 2 minutes until the whole kitchen smells like a spice market.
3. Stir in the five-spice and tomato paste and cook 1 minute, then add the beef and toss to coat every piece.
4. Pour in the fish sauce, sugar, and coconut water. Bring to a simmer, cover, and braise on low for 60 minutes.
5. Add the carrots and onion and braise 20 more minutes. Carrots go in late on purpose; added early they melt into nothing.
6. Uncover and simmer until the sauce thickens enough to coat a spoon. It should be rich and clinging, not soupy.
7. Serve in deep bowls topped with cilantro and basil, with torn baguette for dunking and lime wedges alongside. The bread dunk is not optional, it is the point.

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