Vietnamese Pho recipe
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
20 mins
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Cook Time
3 hrs
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Total Time
3 hrs 20 mins
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Servings
6
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Course
Main Course, Soup
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Cuisine
Vietnamese
Vietnamese Pho recipe
Description
This Vietnamese Pho recipe carefully crafts a flavorful broth by charring aromatic onions and ginger, then combining them with toasted whole spices such as star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and coriander seeds. The broth base is built from a combination of beef brisket, meaty bones, and marrow bones simmered together for hours to extract rich beef flavor and marrow richness. After simmering, the brisket is removed, sliced, and reserved for serving, while the broth is simmered uncovered to concentrate. Fish sauce, sugar, and salt season the broth, balancing savory umami and subtle sweetness.
To serve, rice noodles and thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin are added to individual bowls, topped with slices of the cooked brisket. Diners add bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, sliced red chili, lime wedges, hoisin sauce, and sriracha to tailor flavors and textures. The broth is poured hot to cook the raw beef and warm the noodles, creating a sensory experience of delicate textures alongside the savory, spiced broth.
The recipe emphasizes the importance of specific cuts like brisket for flavor depth, marrow bones for richness, and proper handling of the beef slices to achieve tender textures. It also provides guidance on traditional serving style, allowing customization with fresh herbs and sauces on the side.
Ingredients
Aromatics:
- 2 onion halved, large
- 150g / 5oz ginger , sliced down the centre
Spices
- 10 star anise
- 4 cinnamon quills
- 4 cardamom pods
- 3 cloves (the spice cloves!)
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
Beef bones (Note 1):
- 1.5kg / 3lb beef brisket
- 1kg / 2lb beef bones meaty
- 1kg / 2lb marrow bones (leg, knuckle), cut to reveal marrow
- 3.5 litres / 3.75 quarts water (15 cups)
Seasoning:
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 40 ml / 3 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
Noodle Soup - PER BOWL:
- 50g / 1.5 oz rice sticks or 120g/4oz fresh) (Note 3, dried
- 30g / 1 oz beef tenderloin Note 4, raw, very thinly sliced
- 3 - 5 brisket used for broth, slices
Toppings:
- bean sprouts handful
- basil Thai variety, 3-5 sprigs
- cilantro or more basil, 3-5 sprigs, aka coriander
- lime wedges
- red chilli finely sliced
- hoisin sauce
- sriracha for spiciness
Instructions
Aromatics
- Heat a heavy based skillet over high heat (no oil) until smoking.
- Place onion and ginger in pan cut side down. Cook for a few minutes until it's charred, then turn. Remove and set aside.
- Toast Spices lightly in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 3 minutes.
Remove impurities:
- Rinse bones & brisket then cover with water in large stock pot.
- Boil for 5 minutes, then drain.
- Rinse each bone and brisket under tap water.
Broth:
- Wipe pot clean, bring 3.5 litres / 3.75 quarts water to boil.
- Add bones and brisket, onion, ginger, Spices
- Add onion, ginger, Spices, sugar and salt - water should just barely cover everything.
- Cover with lid, simmer 3 hours.
- Remove brisket (should be fall-apart tender), cool then refrigerate for later.
- Simmer remaining soup UNCOVERED for 40 minutes.
- Strain broth into another pot, discard bones and spices. Should be about 2.5 litres / 2.65 quarts (10 cups), if loads more, reduce.
- Add fish sauce, adjust salt and sugar if needed. Broth should be beefy, fragrant with spices, savoury and barely sweet.
Assemble:
- Prepare rice noodles per packet, just prior to serving.
- Place noodles in bowl. Top with raw beef and brisket.
- Ladle over about 400 / 14 oz hot broth - will cook beef to medium rare.
- Serve with Toppings on the side!
Notes
- Use at least one type of fresh herb (basil or cilantro) when serving for authenticity and flavor balance.
- Thinly slice raw beef by partially freezing it and cutting very thin for optimal tenderness and easy cooking in hot broth.
- If you prefer not to eat raw beef, briefly dip the slices in the hot broth before assembling bowls.
- Brisket is essential for a rich broth; do not omit as it imparts a strong beef flavor compared to other cuts.
- Marrow bones add broth richness but contribute less to flavor depth than brisket; they can be substituted with more meaty bones if needed.
- Store leftover brisket and broth separately for easy reheating and reuse; broth freezes well for months.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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