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Vietnamese Beef Pho (Beef Rice Noodle Soup) Recipe

One of my favorite Vietnamese dishes is pho, a beef rice noodle soup. Rice noodles are topped with herbs, cooked beef and/or medium rare beef served with a spice-infused beef soup.

Prep Time
1 hr
Cook Time
3 hrs mins
Total Time
4 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 6
Calories: 293 kcal
Course: Main Course , Lunch , Dinner

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds beef bones shop for "beef bones for soup"
  • 2 pounds beef shank and/or beef oxtail
  • 1 large onion yellow or sweet
  • 1 3-inch piece ginger
  • 1 3-inch piece cinnamon stick
  • 3 pieces star anise
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
  • 1 piece cardamom (black) crack to open
  • 3 pieces cloves
  • 1 ounce rock sugar (ping pong ball size) or sugar (2 tablespoons)
  • 1.5 teaspoon salt (up to 1-2 tablespoons, to taste)
Garnishes:
  • ½ large onion chopped (red or yellow are milder)
  • 1 bunch scallions chopped
  • 1 cup cilantro chopped, optional
  • 4 cups mung bean sprouts
  • 6 springs Thai basil
  • 1 medium lime cut into wedges (or lemon)
  • 1 medium Jalapeño cut into slices
  • 1 pound thinly sliced beef ribeye, filet mignon, or eye of round
  • 1 14-ounce package bahn pho (rice noodles) (size small or medium refers to width of the noodles) OR fresh noodles, if available.
Sauces at the table (optional): fish sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha

Instructions

Broth
Garnishes and noodles
Assemble

Notes

  • Kathy notes that you can also use beef balls (Bo Vien) found in the freezer section of your Asian market. I recommend cooking them separately or adding them to the broth during the final boil (step 4, under garnishes and noodles).
  • Calorie amount is an estimate based on 6 large servings for big eaters. This was enough for 4 big eaters who had seconds and me.