I have a beautiful relationship with my Instant Pot, it’s pure love… It’s been a life saver many times as well as a reliable friend.
I will share in this blog several recipes that have turned into real culinary delights, thanks to my IP!
If you don’t yet have an IP, you should get one now. It’s on sale on Amazon, check this 7-in-one model and this 6-in-one model.
This is a great recipe for the Vietnamese Beef Stew (Bo Kho) which is similar to a French Ragout easily made with IP and it tastes so rich and yummy that your guests would think that you have slaved all day in the kitchen. Most people around the world are now familiar with the Vietnamese noodles soup “Pho”, but the “Bo Kho” is still little known, yet it’s a rich and satisfying dish, and even more versatile than “Pho” as it can be enjoyed with crusty French bread, rice noodles, egg noodles or steamed rice.
The best way is to start marinating the day before so the beef would absorb all the flavorful spices. In fact you should even start 2 days before by marinating the beef on day 1, cooking with instant pot on day 2, and serve on day 3. This way, the stew will develop even deeper flavors, and before reheating, you can skim off any remaining fat that would rise to the surface of the broth. But if you can’t plan ahead, it’s also fine to marinate the meat for at least 30 minutes and cook it the same day, the dish would still be delicious (but if you eat any leftover the next day, you will find that it’s even more delicious and flavorful).
Typically, for this Beef Stew, you could use shank, brisket or chuck roast. Just pick what’s on sale at your supermarket and the magic of IP will do the rest! This time, I have used Beef short ribs to elevate this dish but the other cuts would work just as fine. You could opt to make this dish from scratch with my recipe, or use store-bought spices mix, as we all lead busy lives… The “Bo Kho” spice mix is available from most Asian stores, or via Amazon like this product.
In my large extended family, there are amazing and talented cooks, and each has his or her own way to prepare an authentic Vietnamese dish. Also, in the traditional ways, there used to be extra steps which actually do not add much to the dish. For example, many Vietnamese recipes call for parboiling the beef before marinating and cooking. For some dishes like Thit Kho, I would do so, but it’s not necessary for this dish. The marinade penetrates raw beef better, and I quickly sear the marinated beef before braising it, so the beef pieces still retain their shape and yet are very tender and juicy once cooked. My way is a combination of authentic flavors with modern hacks and shortcuts, to be as efficient as possible without compromising on the taste.
As in most Asian recipes, the active cooking time is in the preparation, like washing, cutting, chopping. The actual cooking time is around half an hour via IP + natural release time (add 5 minutes if you are using brisket).
Asian Beef Stew by Instant Pot – Bo Kho
Equipment
- Instant pot
Ingredients
Marinating spices or 1 sachet of store bought Bo Kho spice
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp minced ginger
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- 2 tsp five-spice powder
- 2 tsp palm sugar (or brown sugar)
Recipe
- 2-1/2 lb Beef brisket, chuck roast or shank, cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
- 3 tbsp Oil
- 3 to 4 stalks Lemongrass, chop the tender part (or use 4 tablespoon of frozen minced lemongrass available from Asian stores)
- 6 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp Ginger, minced
- 1 Onion, sliced
- 3 tbsp Tomato paste
- 4 cups Coconut water without pulp (not coconut milk)
- 5 cups Water (or more to cover meat in IP)
- 1 Beef broth cube (dilute in above water)
- 3 star anises
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 tsp each fresh ground pepper and salt
- 1 tbsp paprika powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 6 carrots (sliced into 1/2 inch pcs)
- 2 tbsp Dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Palm sugar, to taste
Garnish
- Fresh Coriander
- Fresh Scallion / green onions, thinly sliced
- Fresh Basil
- Onion, thinly sliced
- Blanched bean sprouts (optional)
- Fresh limes, cut in wedges
- Chili, thinly sliced
- Hot Crusty French Bread or Rice Noodles cooked according to package instruction
Instructions
- Cut the beef into cubes of around 1 inch to 1-1/2 inch. Marinate with the spices or a sachet of Bo Kho spices, at least for 30 minutes or overnight, if possible.
- Cut and slice all the other ingredients and aromatics.
- Add 1 cup water in the IP. Put the sliced carrot in a steamer basket, put in IP. Close lid, turn the knob to sealed position. Set the IP to manual pressure cook, 3 minutes. After finished, let natural release for 5 minutes, then manually release steam (cover the knob with a towel and use a long spoon to turn the knob to release). Carefully remove the steamer basket. Empty the IP of the liquid and wipe dry.
- Set to Sautee, add the oil in the IP till hot, add the garlic, onion, lemongrass, ginger and stir fry until fragrant. Add the seasoned beef, sautee the beef until brown on all sides and to seal the flavors.
- Add the tomato paste, star anis and cinnamon, paprika and chili powder. Cook for about 5 minutes
- Add the coconut water, sugar, soy sauce, water mixed with the beef cube, stir well. Add extra water if necessary to just cover the beef.
- Close and lock cover. Set the knob to seal. Set to pressure cook for 23 minutes (if using brisket, add 5 minutes). Let the steam naturally release for 20 minutes, then safely turn the knob to release.
- When steam is all released, open the cover. Turn off keep warm function and set IP to Sautee function to boil the broth. Skim any fat on the surface, add the carrots and taste and adjust the flavor as per your family preference, by adding a little sugar, or 1/2 beef cube, if too bland. If you like the stew to be more concentrated, let it boil (with saute function) for 20 minutes.
- To serve, pour the Beef stew in a bowl with a plate of crusty French bread to dip or prepare bowls of cooked rice noodles, and ladle the beef stew over them (make sure that the stew is boiling hot). Sprinkle coriander and sliced onions on top. Serve with a plate with fresh basil, wedges of limes and sliced chili. Enjoy while still piping hot.
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