Vietnamese Street Food 101: Tantalising Bo Kho or beef stew

30-Oct-2018, 10:45

30 Oct 2018, 10:45

Bo Kho is usually served with Banh Mi (baguette), rice noodles or steamed rice and has a complex flavour due to the pungent fish sauce used in it.

Another popular Vietnamese street food that you can find virtually anywhere in Ho Chi Minh City, is Bo Kho, or beef stew.

A nice big pot of Bo Kho or Vietnamese beef stew.

Kho is a cooking technique in Vietnamese cuisine while Bo is beef. Like most dishes in Vietnam, fish sauce is one of the key ingredients in this stew. The result is a more complex taste than the usual Western-style stew.

Bo Kho is usually served with either rice noodles or Banh Mi (baguette in Vietnamese), though you can also have it with rice.

Bo Kho is usually served with Banh Mi (baguette), rice noodles or rice.

The version featured in this article is from a small restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City, a stone’s throw away from an Airbnb called Thuc Don. The version with Banh Mi costs 45,000 VND (approximately RM8) while the option with rice costs 40,000 VND (approximately RM7).

The meat was lovely, from a really soft flank cut with tendons attached. The stew itself had a rich and complex flavour, made better with chunks of carrots. The entire dish was so good, you will not miss the potato and celery common in most traditional stews.

In Vietnam, delicious, thick coffee is the accompanying drink to any meal.

If you love beef, this is a dish to try when you’re in Vietnam. But if you’re not in Vietnam, this won’t be a difficult dish to replicate at home either.