Marinate ¼ pound beef chuck (~200 calories) in 5 spice, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Turn the Instant Pot on in sauté mode and spray with cooking oil. Sear the marinated beef in the instant pot until slightly browned, then remove from Instant Pot.
Continue to use the Instant Pot in sauté mode and add in the sliced lemongrass, garlic, and onions. Also add in tomato paste on the side. Cooked until the garlic is aromatic and the onions have softened, and the tomato paste is caramelized, which will take about 3-4 minutes. Add in the star anise, 5 spice, pepper, cumin, soy sauce, fish sauce and paprika and cook for about a minute so that the heat releases the flavor.
Re add in the seared meat, along with the sliced carrots and mushrooms. Turn off sauté mode and close the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 40 min, then allow 10-15 minutes of natural release time.
While you're waiting for the Bo Kho to finish, weigh out and cook 1 serving of malfadine or your pasta/noodle of choice (55g at 200 calories) in salted water.
When beef is ready, add the malfadine into the instant pot and stir thoroughly until the noodles are coated with sauce.
Top with cilantro and parmesan cheese if using and serve!