Soups · Vietnam

How Many Calories in Bo Kho?

Also known as Bò kho, Bánh mì bò kho, Vietnamese Beef Stew, Bo Kho Banh Mi.

Beef brisket and tendon braised with lemongrass, star anise, annatto and tomato until the sauce is thick and red, with chunks of carrot, served with a baguette for dipping or over hu tieu noodles. A Saigon breakfast, 40,000 to 60,000 dong.

550kcal / 1 bowl with 1 banh mi
A bowl of bo kho with one banh mi is around 550 calories. The 120g of braised brisket and tendon is about 260, the oily broth and carrot together about 105, and the baguette is 190. Order it over noodles as hu tieu bo kho and Vinmec puts it at 538. With two loaves of bread it is 740.

Nutrition facts

Per 1 bowl with 1 banh mi (500g)AmountPer 100g
Calories550 kcal110 kcal
Protein34 g7 g
Carbs50 g10 g
Fat24 g5 g

Where the calories come from

Braised beef brisket and tendon120g
260 kcal
Bo kho gravy with annatto oil220g
90 kcal
Carrot40g
15 kcal
Banh mi baguette80g
190 kcal

The real talk

Bo kho is a proper protein meal, 34g in a bowl, and the beef is the good part. Brisket and tendon braised for two hours come out at about 215 calories per 100g, so the 120g in a normal bowl is 260. The broth is the tricky bit: it is finished with annatto oil for colour and the fat from the brisket renders into it, so 220ml of that red gravy is around 90 calories. The carrot is 15.

The bread is the other 190. A standard Saigon banh mi loaf is 80g, and dipping it into the gravy is the whole point, so the bread soaks up another 30 or 40 calories of fat. Most quan put two loaves on the table. If you eat both, the meal is 740. If you order hu tieu bo kho or mi bo kho instead, the noodles take the place of the bread at roughly the same calories, 538 for hu tieu per Vinmec.

The 360 calorie stew on its own is a decent thing to eat. What makes bo kho a heavy breakfast is the format: the bread, the second bread, and the fact that a quan bowl uses fattier brisket than the 100g at 350 to 400 you see quoted for home versions. Skim the orange layer of oil off the top before you start and you save 40 to 50.

How the portions compare

360 kcal
Bo kho only, no bread
550 kcal
Bo kho with 1 banh mi
740 kcal
Bo kho with 2 banh mi

Bo Kho variants, ranked by calories

VariantCaloriesNotes
Bo kho (stew only)360 kcalBeef, gravy, carrot
Hu tieu bo kho538 kcalVinmec figure
Banh mi bo kho550 kcalOne loaf
Mi bo kho (egg noodles)580 kcalEgg noodles are denser
Banh mi bo kho, 2 loaves740 kcalThe usual table setting

How to eat it lighter

Common questions

How many calories in banh mi bo kho?
About 550 with one baguette and 740 with two. The stew on its own is around 360.
Is bo kho healthy?
It is high in protein at 34g per bowl and the vegetables are real, but the gravy carries a lot of fat from the brisket and annatto oil. Skim the top layer and limit the bread and it is a solid meal.
How many calories in 100g of bo kho?
Around 200 to 220 for the beef in gravy. Sources quoting 350 to 400 per 100g are measuring the fattiest cuts with a lot of oil.
Bo kho or pho bo, which is lighter?
Pho bo at 450 versus bo kho with bread at 550. Bo kho has more protein, 34g against 28g.

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Calorie and macro figures are estimates for a typical street stall or quan serving. Actual numbers vary by stall, recipe and portion size. Use them as a guide, not gospel.

Calorie figure based on Vinmec (hu tieu bo kho 538) and Bibi Healthy Bread (bo kho 350 to 500 plus bread 150 to 200); component cross-check. Macros estimated from the ingredients.

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