This recipe pairs a perfectly flakey pie crust with my all time favorite Vietnamese beef stew: bò kho. The incorporation of potatoes and a simple roux lends this stew a thicker consistency compared to the classic version, enhancing its adaptation for pie form while delivering a more satisfying bite with added depth. The rough puff pastry is adapted from Natasha Pickowicz’s book, More than Cake.
To make this dish more manageable, you can prepare the pie dough the day before. This recipe calls for gia vị bò kho, a bò kho spice mix readily found in Vietnamese supermarkets or Amazon. If you have trouble locating this, the closest thing you can use is Chinese five spice powder.
ROUGH PUFF INGREDIENTS
200 grams (1 ½ cups + 1 ½ tablespoon) all-purpose flour
280 grams (1 ¼ sticks) unsalted butter
½ teaspoon salt
50 grams (3 ½ tablespoons) cold water
BÒ KHO INGREDIENTS
454 grams (1lb) beef chuck roast
1.5 tablespoons Delta Lemongrass
1 tablespoon Northern Mountain Garlic (minced)
1 teaspoon Sparrow Ginger
2 teaspoons gia vị bò kho
1 teaspoon sugar
1 small onion
1.5 tablespoons soy sauce
170 grams (6 oz) tiny potatoes
170 grams (6 oz) carrot (about 1 large carrot)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons ketchup
1-2 teaspoon fish sauce
GARNISH AND SEASONINGS
Cilantro
Thai basil
Lime
Salt
Pepper