This homage to Bò Kho, inspired by renowned chef & author Andrea Nguygen and my good friend Jenni with whom I have spent hours discussing our love of all things Asian Comfort Food (@asiancomfort on IG), has come into regular rotation in my pandemic winter repertoire. This fragrant and slow braised stew has the perfect combination of heat (chiles), sweetness (brown sugar), umami (fish sauce), aromatics (anise, cinnamon, 5 spice, lemongrass, etc), richness (BEEF), and freshness (ALL the garnishes), so serve it with a piece of crusty baguette and you have yourself a WHOLE meal for ALL the senses.

A few notes:

Pro-Tip: Use beef shank if you can get it. It’s much fattier and more flavorful than chuck (stew meat) so it will lead to a richer stew with more delicate meat (extra points if you can get it bone-in and stew them in with the braise).
Key Step: Saving the marinade and then returning the hot browned beef cubes to it to soak it back up, then returning the marinade to the sauce is a great way to MAXIMIZE flavor.
Something Spicy: I LOVE heat, so I grind dried chile de arbol with my annatto seeds to make a hot red powder, this is optional but I highly recommend IF heat is your friend. Otherwise, add crushed reds to your tolerance.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE MARINADE:

3 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce

1 tablespoon brown sugar

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

2 tablespoons Chinese 5-spice powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon garlic powder

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 sticks lemon grass, smashed

FOR THE STEW:

3 pounds beef shank or chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

6 shallots thinly sliced

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon annatto powder

1 teaspoon ground chile de arbol (or crushed red pepper)

1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional)

4 star anise pods

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leaves

1-2 lbs large carrots, sliced into ½” rounds

½ cup thinly sliced scallions, for garnish

1 cup cilantro sprigs, for garnish

½ cup thai basil leaves, for garnish

1 or 2 Vietnamese, Thair or Serrano sliced thinly on a bias, for garnish

1 crusty baguette, for serving

RECIPE PREPARATION

Prepare marinade: combine fish sauce, brown sugar, ginger, 5-spice powder, garlic powder, minced garlic, and pepper, whisk until well combined.
Place beef in a large bowl, pour over marinade and ensure evenly coated, turning by hand
Marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours (in the refrigerator)
Remove meat from refrigerator at least 30 minutes before preparing stew to allow to come to room temp.
Pour vegetable oil in dutch oven (or large stew pot) over medium-high heat.
Once oil is hot, brown the beef cubes in small batches ensuring good golden coloring on all sides. Reserve marinade in original bowl.
Once all beef is browned, return to marinade bowl (this allows the newly browned meat to soak in more of the flavor).
In the same pot (if there is not too much in the way of burnt bits, otherwise clean out carefully and add new vegetable oil) add shallots and minced fresh ginger to oil and beef fat while still hot over medium heat. Cook for ~5 minutes until translucent but not falling apart.
Add tomato paste, annatto, and ground chiles and cook until mixture begins to darken.
Add tomatoes, beef, and all remaining marinade to pot, top with 4 cups of water.
Add bay leaf, cinnamon, and anise pods.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to slow simmer, cover with lid ajar, and cook for 1 ½ hours or until beef is fork tender (check broth and add more water if too much cooks off and your stew starts to look like sauce).
Add carrots and simmer for another ~20 minutes or until just tender (do not overcook).
Remove lemon grass, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and anise pods before serving.
Optional: Skim fat from surface of broth before serving or chill and remove congealed fat before reheating.
Ladle into individual bowls and garnish with scallions, cilantro, basil, and fresh chiles.
Serve with torn crusty baguette to soak up all the brothy goodness.