If Vietnamese people made a sloppy joe, it would probably taste like this. This Vietnamese caramelized ground beef is saucy, sweet, savory, and so comforting. It's inspired by my childhood favorite, thịt kho, except this recipe is made with ground beef. That means there's no parboiling involved and it's ready in under 30 minutes, which makes it that much easier. It's great as a sandwich or in a rice bowl and makes for an easy meal prep to heat up throughout the week!
This is heavily inspired by the classic thịt kho (Vietnamese caramelized pork belly) with flavors of caramelized sugar and fish sauce, but a little saucier. I love that it can be eaten as a sandwich or turned into a bowl like my lemongrass ground chicken bowl.
What is Thịt Kho?
Thịt kho means caramelized meat. "Thịt" directly translates to meat and "kho" means caramelize and/or braised. There are various Vietnamese dishes you'll see with the words "thịt kho," such as thịt kho trứng (Vietnamese braised pork belly and eggs) and thịt kho tiêu / thịt kho mặn (Vietnamese caramelized pork belly).
In this Vietnamese caramelized ground beef recipe, I took the techniques and ingredients in thịt kho trứng and thịt kho tiêu and combined them to get caramelized, braised ground beef.
Why you'll love this Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef
- It's high in protein, thanks to the ground beef.
- It's savory and comforting.
- An easy meal prep to make and heat up throughout the week.
- Made in one pot, which means an easy cleanup!
- Versatile - turn it into a sandwich or eat it in a bowl over rice.
- Made in under 30 minutes for a quick weeknight dinner.
Jump to:
- What is Thịt Kho?
- Why you'll love this Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef
- Ingredients
- How to make Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef (Ground Beef Thịt Kho)
- Tips for the Best Ground Beef Thịt Kho
- Substitutions and Variations
- How to store Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef
- What to Serve Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef With
- FAQ
- Other recipes to try:
- Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef (Ground Beef Thịt Kho)
Ingredients
Ground beef
- Ground beef
- Fish sauce
- Dark soy sauce
- Coconut water
- Onion
- Garlic
- Ginger
- Cornstarch
- Black pepper
- Kosher salt
- Water
- Oil
For the caramel
- Sugar
- Oil
For serving
- Potato buns or rice
- Scallions
- Cucumber
- Cilantro
- Vietnamese pickles
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef (Ground Beef Thịt Kho)
- Step 1: To a large pot over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of neutral oil and sugar. Allow the sugar to caramelize until it becomes a dark amber color. Watch this closely because it will turn from a dark amber to burnt quickly. If some parts of the sugar are browning faster than others, use a silicone spatula to stir it together.
- Step 2: Once the sugar is caramelized, add the ground beef and ½ teaspoon of salt. Break it up into smaller clumps using a spatula before adding in the onion, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Add in 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, reserving the last tablespoon to season as needed, at the end.
- Step 3: Stir to combine and continue cooking the ground beef until the caramelized sugar is fully dissolved. Mix together cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry. Add the coconut water, dark soy sauce and cornstarch slurry to the ground beef and mix to combine.
- Step 4: Bring it to a gentle boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes, to braise. Uncover and continue simmering until the beef thickens. Season with more fish sauce and salt to taste, as needed.
- Step 5: Enjoy in a bun or over a bowl of rice with scallion greens, cucumber, cilantro, and Vietnamese pickles!
Tips for the Best Ground Beef Thịt Kho
- Go dark on the caramel, but not burnt - This will help darken the color of our ground beef.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of fish sauce for the end. Since we are simmering the ground beef, this will reduce it and concentrate the flavor, which can sometimes cause dishes to be salty. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons. You'll initially use 2 tablespoons so reserve 1 tablespoon at the end to stir in as needed, after the ground beef thickens. This will ensure it doesn't get too salty.
- The caramel will seize up when you add in the ground beef. That is normal. Continue cooking the ground beef and stirring the bits of caramel to help dissolve it. Continue stirring when the water and coconut water are added. As the ground beef is simmering, the caramel will finish dissolving.
Substitutions and Variations
- Protein - Swap ground beef with pork for a more authentic Vietnamese caramelized recipe or try it with ground chicken or ground turkey for a leaner option! Crumbled up firm tofu can also work.
- Coconut water - Use more water, chicken or beef broth for a more savory flavor. Low-sodium would be recommended here.
- Dark soy sauce - If you don't have dark soy sauce, you can use half the amount of low sodium soy sauce, but the color won't be as dark. My thought is that you can use ⅛ teaspoon of molasses if you have it on hand to darken the color but I have not personally tried this.
- Aromatics - Add in chopped lemongrass for a lemongrass ground beef flavor or a bird's eye chili for some heat.
How to store Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef
Store the Vietnamese caramelized ground beef in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
What to Serve Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef With
- Brioche or potato buns for a Vietnamese style sloppy joes
- Steamed jasmine rice as a rice bowl
- Vietnamese pickles for a tangy crunch
- Cilantro, scallions, and cucumber for freshness
- Lettuce to make lettuce wraps
FAQ
Allow it time to thicken and reduce. If it is still runny, make another cornstarch slurry by mixing together 1 teaspoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water and add it to the ground beef. Bring the ground beef mixture to a gentle boil to activate the cornstarch and wait for it to thicken.
Soy sauce has a different flavor than fish sauce, so while you can use it to add a salty umami, the flavor won't quite be the same here.
Dark soy sauce and regular soy sauce are not quite the same. Dark soy sauce is less salty and serves more as a way to darken the color of the meat.
Yes! This recipe works great as a meal prep and the flavors develop even more as the days pass.
Other recipes to try:
- Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef (Bún Bò Xào)
- Lemongrass Ground Chicken Bowl (10 Minute Lunch!)
- Vietnamese caramelized shrimp (Tom Rim)
Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef (Ground Beef Thịt Kho)
Ingredients
For the Caramel
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon neutral oil
Caramelized beef
- 1 lb ground beef 90/10
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tsps ginger grated
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 tbsps fish sauce divided
- ½ cup coconut water
- ¾ cup water
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ tbsps cornstarch
For Serving
- potato buns or rice
- cucumber sliced
- scallions for garnishing
- cilantro optional
- Vietnamese pickles optional
Instructions
- To a large pot over medium heat, add 1 teaspoon of neutral oil and sugar. Allow the sugar to caramelize until it becomes a dark amber color. (Watch this closely because it will turn from a dark amber to burnt quickly. If some parts of the sugar are browning faster than others, use a silicone spatula to stir it together).1 tsp neutral oil, ¼ cup sugar
- Once the sugar is caramelized, add the ground beef and ½ teaspoon of salt. Break it up into smaller clumps using a spatula before adding in the onion, garlic, ginger, black pepper and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce. Reserve the last tablespoon of fish sauce to season as needed, at the end.1 lb ground beef, 1 medium onion, 2 garlic cloves, 2 tsps ginger, ½ tsp black pepper, 3 tbsps fish sauce, ½ tsp kosher salt
- Stir to combine and continue cooking the ground beef until the caramelized sugar is fully dissolved. Mix together cornstarch and water to make a cornstarch slurry. Add the coconut water, dark soy sauce and cornstarch slurry to the ground beef and mix to combine.½ cup coconut water, ¾ cup water, 1 ½ tbsps cornstarch, 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- Bring it to a gentle boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes, to braise. Uncover and continue simmering until the beef thickens. Season with more fish sauce and salt to taste, as needed.
- Enjoy in a bun or over a bowl of rice with scallion greens, cucumber, cilantro, and Vietnamese pickles!
Notes
- Go dark on the caramel, but not burnt - This will help darken the color of our ground beef.
- Reserve 1 tablespoon of fish sauce for the end. Since we are simmering the ground beef, this will reduce it and concentrate the flavor, which can sometimes cause dishes to be salty. The recipe calls for 3 tablespoons but reserve 1 tablespoon at the end to stir in as needed, after the ground beef thickens.
- The caramel will seize up when you add in the ground beef. That is normal. Continue cooking the ground beef and stirring the bits of caramel to help dissolve it. Continue stirring when the water and coconut water are added. As the ground beef is simmering, the caramel will finish dissolving.
- Storage: Store the Vietnamese caramelized ground beef in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
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