Bo kho — Vietnamese lemongrass beef stew
Bo kho is Vietnam's answer to a beef stew: chunks of beef chuck braised slowly with lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon and five-spice until they fall apart, in a reddish, fragrant broth that is nothing like pho. Carrot and daikon go in near the end so they stay sweet and firm, and the pot is served with crusty baguette for mopping up the sauce — or with rice noodles, if that is how your family eats it. One serving is about 383 g.
Bo kho is a Vietnamese beef stew shaped by French colonial cooking: the French braised beef in wine, and Vietnamese cooks kept the slow braise but swapped in lemongrass, star anise, cinnamon and five-spice, and served it with baguette instead of bread from a French bakery. It is a popular breakfast in Saigon, ladled over noodles or mopped up with bread at street stalls, and it is entirely different from pho — a stew, not a noodle soup, with a thick, spiced broth of its own.
Pairs well with: Crusty baguette and fresh herbs
Provenance
Vietnam
Saigon Heritage
East & South Asia
Time Dedication
2h 25m
25m prep • 120m cook
Batch Yield
6 Servings
468 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 383 g
Technical Skill
Intermediate
Medium (Slow Braise)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Hearty Midday Main
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Saigon Heritage
Photo: Kham Tran, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Medium — about $4–5 per serving at home (USD)
Cooked the Saigon way: beef browned hard, lemongrass bruised and knotted, a bare simmer, and vegetables in for the last 30 minutes.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Cubes, Bruised Lemongrass and the Spice Mix
25 Mins • Knife Work
Cut the beef into even cubes and toss it with the five-spice, garlic and ginger so the meat is seasoned before it hits the pan. Bruise the lemongrass stalks and tie them in knots, chunk the carrot and daikon, and measure out the tomato paste, fish sauce and sugar. Everything is ready before the pot gets hot.
Maestro Tip: Bruising the lemongrass releases its citrus oils — whole stalks barely flavour the broth.
15 Mins High heat, about 200°C (400°F)
Heat the oil in a heavy pot and brown the seasoned beef cubes in batches, turning until dark brown on all sides. Do not crowd the pan — crowded beef steams instead of browning. Lift the beef out and set it aside.
Dark browning is flavour; pale beef makes a pale stew.
Done when: Beef dark brown on all sides, fond stuck to the pot.
8 Mins Medium heat, about 170°C (340°F)
Cook the onion in the same pot until soft, then stir in the tomato paste, lemongrass, star anise and cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant. The paste should darken and the kitchen should smell of lemongrass and spice.
Blooming the paste and spices in oil wakes them up.
Done when: Onions soft, paste darkened, spices fragrant.
90 Mins Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Return the beef to the pot, add the warm beef stock, fish sauce and sugar, and bring to a bare simmer. Cover and cook on the lowest heat for 90 minutes, until the beef is nearly tender. The meat must reach 74°C (165°F) throughout.
A bare simmer, not a boil — boiling toughens braised beef.
Done when: Beef nearly tender, broth reddish and fragrant.
30 Mins Low simmer, about 95°C (200°F)
Stir in the carrot and daikon, replace the lid, and cook for 25–30 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the beef falls apart with a fork. Taste and season with salt and a little more fish sauce if needed.
Late vegetables stay sweet and firm instead of dissolving.
Done when: Vegetables tender, beef falling apart, broth glossy.
10 Mins Serve hot, above 60°C (140°F)
Take the pot off the heat, fish out the lemongrass, star anise and cinnamon, and rest for 10 minutes so the sauce settles. Ladle into deep bowls and serve with warm baguette and fresh herbs.
Ten minutes of rest makes the sauce coat the meat instead of running off it.
Done when: Stew steaming, dark red and glossy, beef spoon-tender.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the pot for ten minutes, then ladle the bo kho into deep bowls and serve with warm baguette and a plate of fresh herbs — basil, sawtooth coriander and bean sprouts if you have them.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
468
kcal / serving
Protein
32g
Complete AA
Carbs
16g
Complex
Fats
31g
Healthy
| Energy | 468 kcal |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Carbohydrates | 16 g |
| Fat | 31 g |
| Fibre | 2.8 g |
| Sugar | 7.7 g |
| Sodium | 779 mg |
| Energy | 122 kcal |
| Protein | 8.2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 4.2 g |
| Fat | 8.2 g |
| Fibre | 0.7 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Sodium | 203 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Iron and vitamin B12 (beef), vitamin A (carrot), vitamin C (daikon, lemongrass), potassium (carrot, daikon).
High Protein
With about 32 g of protein per serving, bo kho is a genuinely filling one-bowl dinner.
Iron Rich
Beef chuck is rich in iron and vitamin B12, which support normal red blood cell formation.
Vegetables in Every Bowl
Carrot, daikon and onion add fibre, vitamin A and vitamin C to a rich, fragrant stew.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Crusty Baguette
Baguette is the classic partner — its crust soaks up the lemongrass broth that no spoon can catch, a habit left over from French influence.
Fresh Herbs
Basil, sawtooth coriander and bean sprouts add a fresh, green lift that cuts through the rich stew.
Rice Noodles
For a heartier bowl, ladle the stew over fresh rice noodles — the broth clings to them beautifully.
Drinks
Iced Tea with Lime
Cold, unsweetened iced tea with lime refreshes the palate against the warm spices of the stew.
Complete menu
Serve bo kho with crusty baguette and fresh herbs, with a small plate of pickled onions on the side.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Boiling the Stew Hard
A hard boil toughens braised beef and clouds the broth — a bare simmer is what makes the meat fall apart. This is general food guidance, not medical advice.
Adding the Vegetables Too Early
Carrot and daikon added at the start dissolve into mush over two hours — they go in for the last 30 minutes. This is general food guidance, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
Storage & Use
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WARNING: This dish is made from raw duck blood and eating it is NOT recommended. Raw blood can carry Streptococcus suis (which causes meningitis and sepsis — people in Vietnam have died after eating pig-blood tiet canh), avian influenza from duck blood, salmonella and other dangerous germs. Vietnam's Ministry of Health advises against eating tiet canh, and no preparation method — not even blood from a fresh or trusted source — makes raw blood fully safe. This page describes the traditional Hanoi preparation, tiết canh vịt, for cultural knowledge only. One serving is about 241 g: a small bowl of fresh duck blood mixed with fish sauce, poured over finely chopped cooked duck meat and left to set into a soft, trembling jelly, then finished with crushed roasted peanuts, fresh herbs, lime and chili, and served cold.
Cultural Discovery
A traditional northern Vietnamese snack of raw duck blood set into a soft jelly with cooked duck meat, herbs and peanuts — described here for cultural knowledge, with a serious safety warning.
