Vietnamese Pho recipe
This Pho recipe has been in the works for a while immediately. It ’ s been softly made and remade by versatile RecipeTin syndicate members since our first gear stumble to Vietnam. We ’ ve compared notes, debated furiously about how the latest iteration compared to the ( many ) roll of Pho soup we slurped during our travels, and our darling Pho restaurants back home here in Sydney.
Reading: Vietnamese Pho recipe
We take our Pho very badly. One of the greatest attic soup in the solid worldly concern commands deference !
And I am very pleased to report every member of the RecipeTin family whole heartedly approves of this final recipe !
This homemade Pho recipe is actually quite aboveboard – but you do need a very large pot !
What is Pho?
If you ’ ra wondering “ What is Pho ? ” then you ’ re probably besides wondering “ Why is she sol bonkers over it ? ? ? ”
I don ’ thymine blame you. It looks like a relatively harmless bowl of gripe noodle soup .
That is, until you take your first slurp .
The Pho soup broth is everything. It ’ sulfur light yet broad of relish, deceptively beefy, piquant, building complex, has the tiniest touch of fullness and is filled with beautiful spices like cinnamon .
It is, without question, one of The Best Soups in the unharmed world !
Pho is the foremost thing you seek upon bring in Vietnam, always choosing vendors crowded with locals preferably than tourists !
Best place to try Pho?
In Vietnam, of naturally. ???? here ’ s our Saigon Food Guide, including the best Pho seller in the city that you will not find in any usher book !
Pho actually is a soup that needs to be made from scratch with a homemade beef broth. Throwing some spices into shop bought stock good doesn ’ thyroxine cut it I ’ thousand afraid – and I rarely say that !
How to make this Beef Pho
While you ’ ll necessitate to world handle a considerable pitcher of bones and gripe, I think you might be surprise how aboveboard it actually is to make pho. It ’ mho more meter than anything – and a very big pot !
- Quick boil – Remove impurities from beef with a 5 minute churn, it ’ s the path to a beautiful acquit soup ;
- Scum – be amazed at all the icky stuff that comes out ;
- Wash the bones to get all the icky scum off ;
- Simmer for 3 hours – bones, gripe, water, onion, ginger and spices ( cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, star anise ) ;
- Remove brisket – some is used for Pho exceed, see below recipe for ways to use remainder ;
- Simmer 40 minutes further with just bones ;
- Strain ; then
- Ladle into bowls over noodles and pile on Toppings !
Best beef for Pho soup broth
The only way to get enough beef relish into the broth is to use a combination of meat AND bones. You will NOT get enough season into the broth using barely bones – trust me, we tried multiple times. And it distresses me to see sol many Pho recipes online using equitable bones ! ????
The unmarried most authoritative thing in a pho recipe is using the veracious combination of beef kernel AND bones. Most recipes get it wrong, so the broth lacks flavor .
hera ’ s the combination of gripe and bones I find yields the best Pho soup relish :
- 1.5kg / 3 lb brisket – the beef of choice with pho vendors in Vietnam, for its beefy spirit and it holds up to hours of simmering without capitulation apart ( like chuck and rib ). other slowly cook cuts like chuck and gravy beef are besides less “ beefy ”. See below recipe for amazing ways to use leftover cooked brisket !
- 1kg / 2 lb meaty bones – bones with decent sum of meat on them, for beef spirit and some impressiveness. Best substitute : oxtail bones, more brisket or chuck beef ( lapp sum ). Next best sub: any beef bones.
- 1kg / 2 lb marrow bones – bones like peg, shin and knuckle, with less kernel on them but are quite large and are cut to reveal some of the marrow inside so it can leach into the broth. This provides the least spirit but it adds that all-important trace of fullness in Pho broth. Best submarine : more meaty bones – lose a bite of impressiveness but still super good .
none of these are difficult to find present though possibly not all at your local supermarket. I get everything either from my butchers or from asian butchers ( extremely good value ). You ’ ll find brisket and meaty “ soup bones ” at bombastic supermarkets. And marrow bones are now widely available at butchers and besides the deep-freeze segment of asian stores .
Pho Broth Spices and Other ingredients
Beef digression, the pillow of the ingredients in the broth are surprisingly straightaway ahead !
The spices are toasted to bring out the relish before adding into the pot. And the ginger and onion are charred to add a subtle smokey season into the broth – a confidential little step that adds that extra something-something to make this pho recipe authentic and traditional !
How to serve Pho
The classical room to serve Pho is with :
- rice noodles – fresh or dry ;
- thinly slice bare-assed beef that cooks to a perfect medium rare when the hot broth is ladled over – see below for more information ;
- piles of bean sprouts, Thai basil and coriander/cilantro on the english – avail yourself as you eat the pho ;
- lime wedges ; and
- hoisin sauce and sriracha ( or other chili sauce ) .
typically, the roll come out with good noodles, beef and broth, then everything else is served on the side .
Thinly sliced raw beef for Pho – best cut
I like to use beef tenderloin for the raw beef slices. While that ’ s a premium cut that is a spot dearly-won, you alone need about 30g / 1 oz per serving therefore a snatch goes a retentive means !
TIP: To thinly slice the beef, equitable partially freeze the gripe then slice. Makes it then a lot easier to thin super finely !
↓↓↓The gripe is pink because pouring the broth over bleak beef slices cooks it to medium rare, which is how it ’ south traditionally served and how I love it .
But if the think of pink beef in your soup is off-putting, it ’ s an easy situate – good dunk the gripe into the batch of hot broth first, it will cook in 10 seconds !
Ways to use leftover brisket
The pho broth calls for a considerable part of brisket to ensure the broth gets enough flavor. once slow cooked for hours, it ’ second fall aside offer and much of the relish has been sucked out into the broth .
While a few thin slices are used for the Pho top, I constantly end up with 500g/1lb leftover and I ’ ve shared this Caramelised Vietnamese Shredded Beef recipe which I created specially to use up the remaining brisket. Those fortunate crisp edges are amazing ! ! !
Why make homemade Pho?
I say this is a true forward recipe because there ’ s no crafty techniques involved. But it does involve handling mounds of kernel and bones, a big pot of broth and lots of patience as it simmers away on the stave, working its magic trick .
sol why make Pho at home ?
- If you love Pho ampere much as I do but don ’ thyroxine live in reasonable proximity to a ( beneficial ) Pho restaurant ;
- If you ’ re wanting to impress at a gather with something different. This recipe will serve 6 as a full meal, or 10 to 12 smaller bowl as region of a larger feast. Add some vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls, Lemongrass Chicken, Bun Cha ( vietnamese Pork Meatballs ) or the celebrated vietnamese Caramel pork !
- To save money – you ’ d pay $ 60+ for 6 bowl of Pho in the city ;
- You feel smug with a hoard of extra particular things in the deep-freeze – this broth keeps for months ; or
- Your idea of a easy Sunday involves pottering about in the kitchen ( Pho is a bang-up Sunday putter plan ! )
My site is chiefly # 5. Because I am one of those crazy foodies who will drive 1 hour to vietnamese neighbourhoods for a Pho fix ! – Nagi x
PS I ’ megabyte besides # 4. Because yes, I ’ m that immature at heart. ????
Vietnamese Pho recipe
Watch how to make it
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Vietnamese Pho recipe
Prep:
20
mins
Cook:
3
hrs
Total:
3
hrs
20
mins
Mains, Soup
Vietnamese
from
votes
Servings
6
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Experience the magic of one of the greatest soups in the world with this easy to follow traditional recipe! The depth of flavour in the broth will blow you away – it looks so clear and light but it’s packed with flavour!
Ingredients
Aromatics:
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2 boastfully onions , halved
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150g / 5oz ginger , sliced down the center
Spices
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10 star anise
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4 cinnamon quills
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4 cardamom pods
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3 cloves ( the spice cloves ! )
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1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
Beef bones (Note 1):
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1.5kg / 3lb gripe brisket
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1kg / 2lb meaty beef bones
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1kg / 2lb kernel bones ( leg, knuckle ), cut to reveal marrow
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3.5 litres / 3.75 quarts urine ( 15 cups )
Seasoning:
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2 tbsp flannel boodle
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1 tbsp salt
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40 milliliter / 3 tbsp pisces sauce ( Note 2 )
Noodle Soup – PER BOWL:
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50g / 1.5 oz dried rice sticks ( or 120g/4oz fresh ) ( Note 3 )
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30g / 1 oz gripe combat zone, naked, very thinly sliced ( Note 4 )
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3 – 5 brisket slices ( used for broth )
Toppings:
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Beansprouts, handful
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Thai basil, 3 – 5 sprigs
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Coriander/cilantro, 3 – 5 sprigs ( or more basil )
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Lime wedges*
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finely sliced crimson chilli*
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Hoisin sauce*
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Sriracha* ( for spiciness )
Instructions
Aromatics
- Heat a heavy based frying pan over high gear heat ( no vegetable oil ) until smoking .
- rate onion and ginger in pan cut side down. Cook for a few minutes until it ‘s charred, then turn. Remove and set aside .
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Toast Spices lightly in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 3 minutes.
Remove impurities:
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Rinse bones & brisket then cover with water in large stock pot.
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Boil for 5 minutes, then drain.
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Rinse each bone and brisket under tap water.
Broth:
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Wipe pot clean, bring 3.5 litres / 3.75 quarts water to boil.
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Add bones and brisket, onion, ginger, Spices
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Add onion, ginger, Spices, sugar and salt – water should just barely cover everything.
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Cover with lid, simmer 3 hours.
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Remove brisket (should be fall-apart tender), cool then refrigerate for later.
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Simmer remaining soup UNCOVERED for 40 minutes.
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Strain broth into another pot, discard bones and spices. Should be about 2.5 litres / 2.65 quarts (10 cups), if loads more, reduce.
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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 mailboat, precisely prior to serving .
- home noodles in bowl. lead with crude gripe and brisket .
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Ladle over about 400 / 14 oz hot broth – will cook beef to medium rare.
- serve with Toppings on the side !
Recipe Notes:
* Optional ( the other Toppings are necessity, at least 1 herb )
1. Bones & brisket for broth
- Brisket – don’t skip this, adds way more flavour into broth than any bones and other beef cuts like chuck (brisket has intense beef flavour). If omitted, broth is weak. Leftovers not wasted – see in post for easy, really terrific ways to use up. Also FREEZES for months.
- Brisket sub – boneless beef short ribs
- Leftover cooked beef – see below recipe card for uses, also this Vietnamese Shredded Beef I shared specifically to use the leftover cooked beef!
- Marrow bones add richness to the broth but not as much flavour. Use leg bones, knuckle, anything that is cut in a way so you can SEE some of the marrow (so it can leach out).
- Marrow bones can be subbed with more meaty beef bones but soup may lack richness.
- Australia – meaty bones used are called “soup bones” at supermarkets. Brisket and marrow bones from butcher.
2. Fish Sauce – can sub with light soy but flavour will be a bantam piece different. still VERY tasty .
3. Noodles – any flat rice noodles fine here. Use medium size – not super thin like vermicelli or in truth wide like Pad See Ew .
4. Finely sliced beef – partially freeze ( about 30 minutes ), then slice deoxyadenosine monophosphate thinly as possible. Could besides buy thinly sliced frozen gripe from asian butchers .
other tender gripe besides ok. PS If crude beef is off putting for you, just dunk in soup broth before adding into bowl .
5. Serving – traditionally, the soup is served with barely noodles, broth and beef with all the Toppings listed above on the side. The idea is to help yourself to Toppings as you eat the Pho .
primitively published April 2019. Updated for housekeeping matters – no change to recipe, I wouldn ’ t defy !
Vietnamese food favourites
I am so fond of vietnamese food, I made it my Pilot epicure travel video ! I adore the freshness, signature balance of savoury-sweet-sour, the kaleidoscope of colours and textures, and the incredible depth of flavor you get in relatively simple sauces. here are some of my favourites !
Life of Dozer
I have no issues with the way he sprawls across doorways like this. EXCEPT in the middle of the night when I need to go to the bathroom……
Read more: Grab Ly’s Banh Mi – Scarsdale, NY
You ’ vitamin d think he ’ d learn. Or that I ’ five hundred determine .
But no. The trip/curse/yelp act happens about every night .
