Bò kho is a dish of southern Vietnamese origin using the kho cooking method; it is a spicy dish made commonly with beef which is known throughout the country and beyond. In rural areas, the dish is described as being "extremely fiery."Judy Gelman, Vicki Levy Krupp Table of Contents: From Breakfast with Anita Diamant to Dessert... 2010 Page 245"Bò Kho. Makes 4–6 servings Adapted from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen: Treasured Foodways, Modern Flavors by Andrea Nguyen (Ten Speed Press, 2006) My first... Bò Kho is a quintessential example of what we now call fusion cuisine." There are variants of the dish that is made with chicken, known as ''gà kho'', or ''gà kho gừng'' (gừng meaning "ginger") and also made with fish, known as ''cá kho''.

Origin

The taste of the dish is not in the typical Vietnamese style and is more reminiscent of

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

Malaysian cuisine Malaysian cuisine (Malay language, Malay: ''Masakan Malaysia''; Jawi script, Jawi: ) consists of cooking traditions and practices found in Malaysia, and reflects the multi-ethnic makeup of its population. The vast majority of Malaysia's popul ...

. The wide distribution of beef and slow-cooked stews in Vietnam are thanks to

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

culinary influence during

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

, so the modern dish is considered to have a mixed origin.

Cooking

Мodern Vietnamese cooks cook bò kho using metal saucepans, but originally it was made by simmering the broth in clay pots. The ingredients of the dish can vary widely. The typical ingredients of the dish are

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

carrot The carrot ('' Daucus carota'' subsp. ''sativus'') is a root vegetable, typically orange in colour, though heirloom variants including purple, black, red, white, and yellow cultivars exist, all of which are domesticated forms of the wild ...

lemongrass ''Cymbopogon'', also known as lemongrass, barbed wire grass, silky heads, oily heads, Cochin grass, Malabar grass, citronella grass or fever grass, is a genus of Asian, African, Australian, and tropical island plants in the grass family. Some ...

, and

garlic Garlic (''Allium sativum'') is a species of bulbous flowering plants in the genus '' Allium''. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chives, Welsh onion, and Chinese onion. Garlic is native to central and south Asia, str ...

. Some other ingredients that can be used are

tomatoes The tomato (, ), ''Solanum lycopersicum'', is a plant whose fruit is an edible berry that is eaten as a vegetable. The tomato is a member of the nightshade family that includes tobacco, potato, and chili peppers. It originated from and was d ...

applesauce Apple sauce is a purée (not necessarily served as a true sauce) made of apples. It can be made with peeled or unpeeled apples and can be spiced or sweetened. Apple sauce is inexpensive and is widely consumed in North America and some parts of E ...

, and

star anise ''Illicium verum'' (star anise or badian, Chinese star anise, star anise seed, star aniseed and star of anise) is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to South China and northeast Vietnam. Its star-shaped pericarps harvested just before ripen ...

, and

galangal Galangal () is a rhizome of plants in the ginger family Zingiberaceae, with culinary and medicinal uses originating in Indonesia. It is one of four species in the genus ''Alpinia'', and is known for its pungent, aromatic flavor. Greater gal ...

. The ingredients are first marinated with some Vietnamese spices and sauces (

ginger Ginger (''Zingiber officinale'') is a flowering plant whose rhizome, ginger root or ginger, is widely used as a spice and a folk medicine. It is an herbaceous perennial that grows annual pseudostems (false stems made of the rolled bases of l ...

, chili, Vietnamese-style fish sauce). An off-the-shelf ''bò kho powder'' is also available. Then, the dish should be slowly stewed until cooked. It is usually served with

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

rice noodles Rice noodles are noodles made with rice flour and water as the principal ingredients. Sometimes ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodle ...

, or

bánh mì In Vietnamese cuisine, , bánh mỳ or banh mi (, ; , 'bread' (Hanoi: �aʲŋ̟˧˥.mi˧˩or Saigon: �an˧˥.mi˧˩), is a short baguette with thin, crisp crust and a soft, airy texture. It is often split lengthwise and filled with meat and ...

, and herbs (examples include

Thai basil Thai basil is a type of basil native to Southeast Asia that has been cultivated to provide distinctive traits. Widely used throughout Southeast Asia, its flavor, described as anise- and licorice-like and slightly spicy, is more stable unde ...

, and

cilantro Coriander (), whose leaves are known as cilantro () in the U.S. and parts of Canada, and dhania in parts of South Asia and Africa, is an annual herb (''Coriandrum sativum'') in the family Apiaceae. Most people perceive the leaves as ha ...

Gallery

Bò kho hầm lagu cà ri.jpg, Bò kho combined with

ragout Ragout (, , ) is a stew served as a main dish. Etymology The term comes from the French ''ragoûter'', meaning 'to revive the taste'. Preparation The basic method of preparation involves slow cooking over a low heat. The main ingredients are ...

and

curry Curry is a dish with a sauce or gravy seasoned with spices, mainly derived from the interchange of Indian cuisine with European taste in food, starting with the Portuguese, followed by the Dutch and British, and then thoroughly internatio ...

Bo_kho_mien_Bac.jpg, Bò kho Bánh mỳ và bò kho (bò Phú Yên) ở Nguyễn Nhữ Lãm, Tân Phú năm 2015 (3).jpg, Bò kho served with

Hủ tiếu bò kho.jpg,

Hủ tiếu or is a Vietnamese cuisine, Vietnamese dish eaten in Vietnam as breakfast. It may be served either as a soup () or dry with no broth (). became popular in the 1960s in Southern Vietnam, especially in Saigon. The primary ingredients of this ...

bò kho Bo kho.jpg, A bowl of Bò kho Bo-Kho-2011.jpg, Bò kho with carrots, radishes, beef tripe and mì Bò kho nấu tiêu đường Nguyễn Sơn ngày 08 tháng 3 năm 2020 (5).jpg, Bò kho served with

instant noodles Instant noodles, or instant ramen, is a type of food consisting of noodles sold in a precooked and dried block with flavoring powder and/or seasoning oil. The dried noodle block was originally created by flash-frying cooked noodles, which is s ...

References

{{Vietnamese cuisine Stews Salted foods Vietnamese beef dishes

Origin

Cooking

Gallery

See also

References