Authentic Vietnamese Beef Pho (Phở Bò)
User Reviews
4.7
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Prep Time
30 mins
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Cook Time
6 hrs 30 mins
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Total Time
7 hrs
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Servings
6 people
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Calories
384 kcal
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Course
Main Course, Soup
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Cuisine
Vietnamese
Authentic Vietnamese Beef Pho (Phở Bò)
Description
Authentic Vietnamese Beef Pho begins with par-boiling beef bones, brisket, and shank to cleanse impurities before simmering them slowly for many hours together with a spice blend containing cassia cinnamon, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and black cardamom pods. Along with yellow onions, ginger, and shallots, these aromatics enrich the broth’s flavor. The brisket and shank cook until tender, then are cooled and refrigerated while the broth continues simmering. This lengthy, gentle simmering develops a clear but richly flavored soup base.
The soup is traditionally served with cooked rice noodles and optionally thinly sliced rare beef. Fresh garnishes include paper-thin yellow onion slices, shredded scallion, cilantro, and freshly cracked black pepper. The broth’s depth is balanced by the brightness of the herbs and the gentle heat from preferred condiments. Regional variations influence how much fish sauce or sugar is added and which toppings accompany the pho.
The recipe accommodates make-ahead preparation: the broth and cooked meats can be refrigerated or frozen, with reheating instructions provided to restore flavor intensity. The large batch recipe serves approximately six people but can be adjusted. Options for different beef cuts or substituting oxtails for shank allow some flexibility while maintaining authenticity. Serving suggestions include lime wedges, bird’s eye chili, hoisin sauce, sriracha, fried dough sticks, and fresh herbs to customize individual bowls.
Ingredients
For the Broth
- 3 lbs beef bones
- 1.25 lbs beef brisket
- 1 lb beef shank
- 14½ cups water (about 3.75 quarts)
- 1 tablespoon salt (and more for seasoning)
For the Spice Blend
- 1 cassia cinnamon about 0.2-0.25 oz, large piece of cassia bark or 2-3 cinnamon sticks
- 6 star anise
- 6-7 cloves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 1½-2 black cardamom pods crushed open
For the Aromatics
- 2 yellow onion about 12 oz, medium, skin-on, sliced in half
- 2 ginger about 2.5 oz, thumb-sized pieces, sliced in half lengthwise plus 2 more slices
- 4-5 shallot
For Seasonings
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce (to taste)
- 1 tablespoon rock sugar
For the Bowls
- 1.5-2 lbs rice noodle cooked
- flank steak optional, if you want to have rare beef pho, thinly sliced, or tenderloin or sirloin
- 1 yellow onion try to make them paper-thin, medium, thinly sliced into half moons
- scallion white part, shredded
- scallion green part, thinly sliced
- cilantro thinly sliced
- black pepper freshly-cracked
Instructions
Prepare the Broth
- Par-boil beef bones in plenty of boiling water for 10 minutes then transfer to a bowl of cold water and clean the bones. Bring a stock pot with 3.75 quarts of water to a simmer, then add the bones together with 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 slices of ginger (about 2-inch long).
- Let everything come to a boil and skim off any foams, then reduce to a simmer. Cover with the lid askew and simmer very gently for 6-8 hours.
- While simmering the bones, use kitchen twine to tie the beef brisket and shank. Par-boil them in boiling water for a couple of minutes. Rinse and add them to the stock pot. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and skim off foams. Cover with the lid askew.
- Cook the beef brisket and shank until tender to your liking. Beef brisket may take 2.5-3 hours and beef shank may take 1-1.5 hours. Once they are ready, remove them from the broth and add them to a bowl of iced water. Once cool, refrigerate them if the broth isn't ready yet.
- About 2.5 hours before finishing simmering the broth, char onions, ginger and shallots (all with skin-on) on a grill pan or broil in the oven. It may take 10-15 minutes and you will see charred marks on their skin. The onions will feel softer with some juices bubbling. Peel off the skin and blackened part from the charred onions, ginger and shallots.
- In a skillet over medium-low to medium heat, toast the spices for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Be careful to avoid burning them (especially the cloves). Add them to a spice bag.
- Skim off excess fat from the broth (note: leave some fat in the broth). Place the spice bag, onion, ginger and shallot in the stock pot and simmer them in the broth for about 2 hours prior to serving, then remove them.
- Right before serving, season the broth with additional salt (I often add another teaspoon of salt), fish sauce and rock sugar to taste. Also check to see if too much water evaporates and you can add a splash of water to the broth if needed. Each bowl needs about 1½-2 cups (360-480ml) of broth depending on size (medium or large).
Assemble Beef Pho Bowls
- Slice beef brisket and shank thinly against the grain.
- Place rice noodles in serving bowls. Top with sliced cooked beef, raw beef slices (optional), thinly sliced onions, thinly sliced scallions, cilantro and freshly cracked black pepper.
- Bring the broth back to a boil. Add the white parts of scallions to the broth to poach for several seconds, and then immediately ladle the soup into pho bowls. Serve right away with accompaniments of your choice. See list of accompaniments in the Notes below.
Notes
- Serve pho with traditional accompaniments like fried dough sticks, lime wedges, chili, hoisin sauce, and fresh herbs to enhance flavors.
- Simmer bones for 6-8 hours to develop a rich broth; brisket and shank need less cooking time and can be added accordingly.
- For varying broth styles, adjust fish sauce and sugar amounts to approach Northern or Southern Vietnamese flavors.
- Make-ahead options: broth and cooked meats can be refrigerated or frozen, reheating with added aromatics to refresh flavor.
- If beef shank is unavailable, oxtails are a suitable substitute requiring longer simmering for tenderness.
- This recipe serves six people and can be increased to serve more by adding water and adjusting seasonings carefully.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 6people
Amount Per Serving
Calories 384 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 384kcal | 19% |
| Carbohydrates | 41g | 14% |
| Protein | 32g | 64% |
| Fat | 10g | 15% |
| Saturated Fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 76mg | 25% |
| Sodium | 1558mg | 65% |
| Potassium | 678mg | 14% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 6g | 12% |
| Vitamin C | 6mg | 7% |
| Calcium | 82mg | 8% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
4.7
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