Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef (Ground Beef Thịt Kho)

Vietnamese caramelized ground beef on a bun with cucumber slices and sliced scallions on a white plate.

Vietnamese Caramelized Ground Beef (Ground Beef Thịt Kho)

This Vietnamese caramelized ground beef brings the flavors of thịt kho (Vietnamese caramelized pork belly) and puts it in a sandwich. It's a fun Vietnamese twist on a classic sloppy joe but it works great in a rice bowl too! Meal prep it to enjoy throughout the week as a quick lunch or make it for a quick weeknight dinner in under 30 minutes.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Servings:

Calories: 373kcal

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.

Nutrition