Bap Bo Ham Tieu Xanh (Beef Shank with Green Peppercorns)
Vietnamese dishesStewsSouthern Vietnam2 hours
Bap bo ham tieu xanh gives tender meat with the sinew still springy, in a broth scented with fresh peppercorns. The difficulty is stewing long enough without the meat going stringy.
Cut the beef shank into large pieces rather than small ones, because the meat shrinks as it stews. Before the pot goes on, sear the pieces until the edges catch, which brings out the aroma. It works with hot rice or with bread, and the broth is worth spooning over the rice.
This batch weighs about 1.7kg, at roughly 110 calories per 100g.
Method
Scrub 700g beef shank with salt or ginger to clear any smell, then cut it into large pieces so the meat stays juicy after stewing.
Peel 200g potato and cut it into bite sized pieces. Peel 150g carrot, wash it, flute it and cut it into rounds about 0.5cm thick.
Season the beef shank with 1 teaspoon seasoning powder, 2 tablespoons fish sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, the bruised green peppercorns, 3 shallots and 2 minced garlic cloves, plus half of the 1 tablespoon kOBE Monk Fruit Blend. Leave it for 30 minutes.
Add 1 tablespoon cooking oil to the pot and sear the meat until the edges catch and the aroma comes up.
Pour in 300ml fresh coconut water to just cover the meat, add half the green peppercorns and stew over low heat for 60 to 70 minutes until tender.
Add the potato and carrot and cook until soft. Season with 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the rest of the kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, then adjust to taste.
Ladle into a bowl and finish with 10g spring onion, cilantro and the last of the green peppercorns.
Tips
Choose beef shank with plenty of sinew, bright red meat and pale yellow fat, so the sinew turns soft and springy.
Young coconut water in place of plain water gives the broth a more natural sweetness.
The potato goes in for the last twenty minutes, since from the start it dissolves into the broth.
Cut the pieces half again as large as the finished bite, since the meat shrinks as it stews.
Keep the pot at a bare simmer for the full hour, because a hard boil shrinks and toughens the meat.
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The recipe above is sweetened with kOBE Monk Fruit Blend, measured 1:1 like sugar. See the product page or send us a message.