Inspiration
Bò Kho với bánh hành is Vietnamese for scallion cake with beef. This dish, however, is multicultural. The wrap is part Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, and American fusion. I discovered this wonderful dish after watching a story on Thrillist about a much-talked-about Scallion Pancake with Braised Beef Shank lunch item at Little Tong Noodle Shop in New York City. That restaurant is sadly currently out of business due to the global pandemic. Nevertheless, I thought the episode of Thrillist to be intriguing. Unfortunately, I don’t have the exact recipe, but I will do my best to recreate this sought-after entrée here for you.
Helpful Tips
This recipe is best to split up into a couple of days. First, make the scallion pancake dough (recipe coming soon) and allow it to rest overnight. (Alternatively, Trader Joe’s or Amazon sells frozen scallion pancakes.) Second, start the braised beef shank and allow that time to cook until fork tender. Lastly, pickled vegetables can also be made in advance and kept in the refrigerator until needed. Once everything is ready, the final preparation takes only minutes.
Beef shank (Osso Bucco) is the cut mentioned in the Thrillist video and is a great choice. Alternatives to this cut are beef chuck, round, short rib, cheek, or oxtail. Go with what you are comfortable with. If cooked properly to fork-tender, they all work for a pictorial of braising the beef shanks. Next, check out Guinness Draught Braised Beef Short Ribs. Use the ingredients from this recipe, but follow the technique. It’s basically the same except for the seasonings.
Recommendations
Thai spicy mayonnaise starts with Kewpie Japanese brand mayonnaise. In a pinch, any store-bought or homemade mayonnaise will work.
For the Thai sweet chili sauce, try with Grama, Mae Ploy, or Melinda’s brands for the sweet, Thai chili sauce.
Maggi seasoning sauce. To quote the Sporkful podcaster Dan Pashman, “It’s like soy sauce on crack,” Pashman said. “It’s this umami, sweet, rich, fatty, salt and sharp flavor.” You can find Maggi seasoning sauce HERE.
Gather the ingredients to pickle: English cucumber, daikon radish, carrot, Fresno chili, or Thai chili.
For the carrot and daikon radish, cut the vegetables into thin planks and then cut those planks into thin strips.
For the Fresno/Thai chili, cut into rounds. Then, remove the seeds from the chilies (optional). Similarly, cut the English cucumbers into rounds.
Note* This step is not in the instructions; however, it can help the vegetables last longer once they are pickled. Also, adding a pinch of salt and allowing the vegetables to purge excess water will help the shelf life of your vegetables.
After salting the vegetables, rinse them thoroughly under cold water to remove the salt.
Make the brining solution (water, vinegar, sugar, and salt) over medium heat in a saucepan. Next, stir the mixture until the sugar and salt have dissolved, then remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Add the pickling solution to the vegetables to a container with a tight-fitting lid.
Refrigerate the pickled vegetables for at least an hour before using them. Reserve
The Thai mayonnaise couldn’t be simpler. Add sweet Thai chili sauce to mayonnaise.
Taste the Thai-style mayonnaise to check the seasoning. Reserve
Add some of the braised beef to the scallion cake, Thai mayonnaise, and pickled vegetables.
Add some freshly chopped cilantro/parsley and a few dashes of Maggi seasoning. Reserve.
Prepare the cheese curds for grilling. I’m using a local cheese curd made with chives.
Grind the cheese curds down to small pea-size.
Place a small amount of cheese (about 2tbs) on a hot, lightly oil flat grill or non-stick pan and melt.
Hence, cook the cheese briefly until you see golden brown edges form around the outside of the cheese. Then, use a spatula to turn the cheese over and cook the other side…very briefly.
After flipping the cheese, set up the second side and then place it on the Bò Kho.
A fully loaded Bò kho với bánh hành.
Wrap up the Bò Kho and enjoy!
Delicious!
Beverage pairings:
Asain beers such as Chinese Tsingtao Beer, Thai Singha Beer, Thai Chang Beer, or your favorite local Pilsner
Scallion Pancake with Braised Beef Shank
Equipment
- food processor
- pressure cooker (optional) Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid.
- chef knife
- cutting board
- mixing bowls
- measuring cups and spoons
- flat-top grill or large plancha
- saute pan or saucier for cooking scallion cake
Ingredients
Braised Beef
- 2-2½ lbs beef shank, trimmed of excess fat substitutes for shank can be beef chuck, round, short rib, cheek, or oxtail
- ⅓ cup flour, all-purpose for dredging shank
- salt
- black pepper
- 2 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
- 2 whole onion, peeled and cored, roughly chopped
- 10 large cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste, preferably Mutti brand Muir Glen, Trader Joe's, Cento are good substitutes
- 1 750ml red wine, good quality
- 4 cups beef stock, good quality
- 1 sprig of rosemary, fresh
- 2 whole bay leaf
Thai Spicy Mayonnaise, Quick Version
- ½ cup mayonnaise, preferably Kewpie brand or good quality
- 2 tbsp Thai sweet chili sauce, preferably Gramas or Mae Ploy
Quick Pickled Vegetables
- 1 whole carrot, peeled, cut in half, julienned
- ½ whole radish, daikon cut into thin planks and then julienned
- ½ whole English cucumber, sliced thin into rounds or half-moons
- 2 whole red chilies, Fresno/Thai thinly sliced To make less spicy, remove the seeds and pith.
Pickling Solution
- 1½ cups water, hot
- ¾ cup vinegar, rice, or distilled
- ½ cup sugar white, granulated
- 4 tsp salt
Garnish
- 1 tsp cilantro, cleaned and chopped fine
- 1 tsp parsley, cleaned and chopped fine
- 3 dashes Maggi, seasoning
Crusty Cheese Topper
- 8 oz cheese curds, pulsed into small crumb
- 1 tbsp oil, vegetable
Scallion Pancakes (recipe coming soon) or Store Bought
Braised Beef Cheeks (Use the ingredients from this recipe, then use the technique shown in the Guinness Draught Braised Short Ribs)
Instructions
Pickled Vegetables
- In a medium-sized pot, add water, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Cook the mixture until the sugar and salt have dissolved and remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Peel the carrots and radish and cut the vegetables into a workable size of 3 inches. Next, carefully slice the carrot and radish into thin planks. Next, cut those planks into thin strips.
- Cut the Fresno or Thai chilies into rounds. Removed the seeds if you wish to reduce the heat (optional). Similarly, Cut the English cucumber into thin rounds.
Sweet Thai Chili Mayonnaise
- Measure out the mayonnaise. Add the sweet Thai Chili sauce and mix thoroughly to combine. Reserve
Grilled Cheese Curds
- Heat a flat grill or non-stick pan over medium heat.
- Using a food processor, grind the cheese curds into a medium meal consistency.
- Add a tablespoon of oil and a small amount of the ground cheese curds and cook until a golden brown edge forms on the cheese. Using a metal or non-stick spatula, flip the cheese over to cook the opposite side briefly.
Assembly
- Fry the scallion cake and season with ground Chinese 5 spice or Szechwan and a pinch of salt.
- Add 2-3 tsp of the Thai mayonnaise and spread over the scallion cake. Take a small handful of the pickled vegetables and place them in the center of the seasoned scallion cake.
- Using a set of tongs, add some of the braised beef shanks along with some of its sauce. Top with chopped cilantro, parsley, and 3 dashes of Maggi seasoning. Reserve.
- Follow the instructions for melting the cheese curds and then place immediately on top and serve.