Stir-fried choko with beef and garlic (trai su xao thit bo)

Choko is on every menu in Vietnam. I love it as it really absorbs flavours during cooking whilst retaining its texture. Native to Central America, chokos are so versatile, you can even slice and cook the seeds - they add a great nutty flavour to stir-fry recipes.

• serves

  4

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  10 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp sugar
• ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 200 g lean beef, finely sliced
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp finely diced garlic
• 2 chokos, peeled, sliced into batons
• 1 tbsp water
• 4 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths
• 3 coriander sprigs, for garnish
• 1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional), for garnish

Chilli soy dipping sauce

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce 
• 1 red chilli, sliced

Marinating time: 10 minutes

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, combine ½ tablespoon sugar, pepper and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Mix well then add beef and marinate for 10 minutes.

To make the chilli soy dipping sauce, combine the soy and chilli.

In a hot fry pan, add vegetable oil and fry the garlic until fragrant. Add the beef and stir fry for 1 minute then remove the beef and set aside.

Add the choko to the same hot pan then add remaining fish sauce, sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Stir then cover with lid and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Remove the lid, add spring onions, cooked beef and toss well for a further minute.

Transfer to a plate, garnish with coriander and sliced chilli (if using). Serve with jasmine rice and chilli soy dipping sauce.

You might also enjoy Thai-style chicken stir-fry, often served at breakfast topped with a deep-fried egg, sunny-side up. Vegetarians will love Chris Yan's Shanghai-style stir-fry with eggplant, garlic and soy sauce, as seen on Food Safari. For a family friendly meal, try our Mongolian lamb stir-fry recipe, which uses lamb backstrap, shallots and baby spinach. Browse our collection of stir-fry recipes.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.