Good evening, all. When I volunteered to write this diary a few weeks ago, as is usually the case, I didn’t really have any idea of what I was going to write about. But since the weather has been quite cool here in Houston (I know it’s much colder elsewhere!), I thought I would write about cold-weather comforts. For me, that means stew. Tonight, I’d like to share two of my favorites—one new-ish, and another that I’ve shared before.
I’m sort of a connoisseur of stews—they’re seriously one of my favorite things, and not just in cooler weather. I like how they can deliver the protein, the carb, the veggie, and (of course) the comfort in one bowl. I like many varieties, but once I find a new favorite, I become obsessed (ask my freezer, which is currently holding many stew portions). My latest obsession is bo kho, which is a Vietnamese beef stew. It’s notable for its strong lemongrass flavor, and the only other major component other than the beef is the carrot (something that I find odd from my American perspective—where’s the potato??? Turns out you won’t even miss it). When I first decided to make it, I tinkered around with a few versions before I came across Andrea Nguyen’s recipe, which is now the one I make. Nguyen also writes a little about the history of the dish and her family’s experience with it:
No one is certain about the exact origins of bo kho. It's mostly likely that resourceful Viet cooks took the tough and bony remains of beef carcasses left after French colonialists carved off their tender steaks and prepared long-simmered stews like this.
[...]
It was effortless for [my mother] to prepare it for us in America once she'd obtained ginger, yellow onion, lemongrass, Chinese five-spice, star anise, bay leaf and canned tomatoes. Aside from the lemongrass, star anise and fish sauce, which she bought in Los Angeles's Chinatown, all that she needed was sold at the nearby Albertsons supermarket. Everything bubbled away with chunks of beef chuck, a stand-in for the shank and tendon traditionally used in Vietnam. Carrots were added at the end for color and texture, and to sweeten up the sauce a tad.
When we lived in Vietnam, we had bo kho for breakfast, but in the U.S. my mom served it for dinner, because that's when we all sat down together as a family. We often sopped up the hearty stew with French bread, and were deliciously reminded of our Viet roots.
That French bread, by the way, is absolutely essential for this, in my opinion. When I go to the Asian market for the lemongrass and Thai basil, I make sure to stop at the bakery to pick up an order of baguettes, too. You can eat it with rice or even alone, but there’s nothing quite like sopping this up with French bread.
This, like any Vietnamese food I make, had to be met with the BF’s approval. And I’m happy to say that this version ranks right up there with his mom’s (although I’m not sure he dares tell her that). Anyway, here are the ingredients:
2 to 2¼ pounds well-trimmed boneless beef chuck, cut into 1½-inch chunks
2 stalks lemongrass, loose leaves discarded, cut into 3-inch lengths and bruised with the broad side of a cleaver or chef's knife
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2½ to 3 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger
1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
1½ teaspoons packed light or dark brown sugar
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons canola or other neutral oil
1 yellow onion or 8 ounces shallot, finely chopped
1 can (14 ounces) crushed tomato in purée (1½ cups)
½ teaspoon salt
2 whole star anise
About 3½ cups water
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh Vietnamese coriander or Thai basil
By the way, that coconut water in the picture above? You can forget about that. There are versions of this recipe that use coconut water, and I decided to try using it instead of regular water—I don’t think there was any detectable difference.
This is a pretty easy stew to make. Combine the first eight ingredients on the list and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Then, brown the beef on all sides in a large pot or Dutch oven and remove to a plate.
Add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes and salt. Reduce to a paste, which takes about 15 minutes or so. Add the beef, marinade ingredients, star anise, and water to the pot and simmer (covered) for an hour and 15 minutes.
Finally, add the carrots and continue to simmer until they are tender (about 30 minutes). Taste for seasoning and discard the lemongrass stalks, bay leaf, and star anise. I like to add a handful of chopped Thai basil right to the pot at this point.
Again, it’s not pictured, but the French bread is kind of mandatory.
For my second stew, I’d like to share something I’ve already written about (see the link above). I’ve evangelized this stew for about a year now, and I have at least one convert (ask side pocket how much he loves this stew). It’s called red wine and shallot beef stew, and it’s from Jessica Seinfeld’s (wife of Jerry!) book Food Swings. Here are the ingredients (which seem like so few, but they turn into something truly incredible):
2 1/2 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more if necessary
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups dry red wine, such as pinot noir or Chianti
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
8 shallots
2 dried bay leaves
1 pound medium carrots (about 8), halved crosswise and lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon gold potatoes (about 6), quartered
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
By the way, I recommend cutting the carrots into smaller pieces, like one would normally cut carrots for a stew. If you cut them how the recipe suggests, the result will be a visually stunning pot of stew—but it’s completely impractical when it comes to actually serving it in bowls and eating it. So do yourself a favor. Also, I really enjoy using the bags of baby potatoes, which are the perfect size (I don’t even cut them) and usually come in 1.5-pound bags. You might also be wondering about the shallots, since it doesn’t say to chop them—don’t!!! If they’re small to medium, just leave them whole (after peeling and cutting off the root end). If they’re very large, cut them in half. Trust me, they’re going to cook so long that they will meld right into the stew.
This stew couldn’t be easier—although it does take a long time, and the smell coming from the oven will torment you. First, preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Brown the beef on all sides in a large Dutch oven and remove to a plate.
Cook the tomato paste for a few seconds, then add the wine and tomatoes (you can crush the tomatoes, or you can just add them in whole—they’re going to break down either way). The recipe also says to add a cup of water, but I tend to just add the entire bottle of wine and skip the water. Either way, bring it all up to a simmer, and then add in the beef, shallots, and bay leaves.
Cover and put it in the oven for two hours. Then, add the potatoes and carrots and put it back in the oven for another hour (or however long it takes for the vegetables to get tender). Taste for seasoning and add the parsley. This is the king of stews, as far as I’m concerned. I like to eat this with crusty bread.
Hopefully these recipes will bring you come cold weather comfort. Do you have any favorite stew recipes? I’d love to hear them!
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