Authentic Pho

This is Vietnam’s most iconic dish, Pho is a light beef broth served with rice noodles, paper-thin slices of beef, bean sprouts and a mixture of fresh herbs that you add based on your preference.  This dish pronounced “Puh” can be made as spicy as you like by adding sliced red peppers and hot sauce. The final touch is a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice.  Breakfast, lunch or dinner.  One can never eat too much Pho.

When I made this, I couldn’t find soup bones so I bought meat with bones! Then I saved the meat once cooed and used it for other purposes.  This turned out to a be time saver for another day’s dinner.

Ingredients for the broth:

2 pounds beef shank

1 pound beef oxtail

1 medium size onion, peeled and cut in half

4 slices fresh ginger

2 whole cinnamon sticks

2 whole star anise

3 whole cloves

2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds

3 medium carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped

2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce

1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce

4 quarts water (amount may vary if you are using an Instant Pot. Be sure to check with manufacturer’s recommendations for maximum amount of liquid.)

Ingredients for serving:

8 ounces sirloin steak, round eye or London broil

8 ounces dried rice noodles (bahn pho either 1/16, 1/8 or 1/4-inch wide)

½ cup chopped cilantro

3 medium scallions, sliced

1 ½ cup bean sprouts

½ cup chopped Thai basil (optional as this is very hard to find!) or regular basil and/or mint.

1-2 fresh lime cut into 4 wedges each

1 Thai bird, serrano or jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced (use plastic gloves!)

Hot sauce such as Sriracha or Hoisin Sauce

Cooking Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 425 ⁰F

2.    Place beef bones and roast until brown, about 1 hour.

3.    Place onion on a baking sheet and roast until blackened, about 45 minutes.

4.    Toast the spices (cinnamon, star anise, cloves and coriander seed) in a small skillet over a medium heat until very fragrant, about 2 minutes.  Be careful to stir frequently so spices do not burn.

5.    Place bones, onions, ginger, spices, and fish sauce in a large stockpot and cover with 4 quarts of water.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a slow simmer for 6-8 hours.  (I made my broth in an Instant Pot in 25 minutes but also adjusted the amount of water to 8 cups water.)

6.    Once cooked, strain the broth into a saucepan and set aside.

7.    Prepare noodles according the package instructions.

8.    Prepare the steak by putting it in the freezer for 30 minutes.  This will make it easier when you slice it into paper thin pieces.

9.    Prepare all the toppings.

10.  Heat your broth to a simmer.

11.  Prepare the pho bowls by dividing the noodles and topping each with a few slices of raw beef in a single layer. Add some of the scallions as well.

12.  Slowly ladle the hot broth on top of each bowl.  The beef should immediately cook and turn opaque. Stir delicately to make sure all the beef is no longer pink. 

13.  Serve the pho with all of the remaining toppings.  Let everyone top their own soup with the herbs and determine how hot (or not!) they want their soup to be.

14. Serve with chopped sticks and a Chinese soup spoon and enjoy like the Vietnamese do.

Serves: 4

Recommended beverage:  Beer, what else?