Pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup usually based on beef, pork, or chicken. The version that we will make today is beef-based. Our Pho starts with a flavourful beef broth seasoned with onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, clove, chilli, and more. The soup is garnished with lots of fresh herbs and vegetables, then finished with a squeeze of lime and a bit of sambal and hoisin for sweet, spice, and acid. For my money, there is no better soup in the world than a well-executed bowl of Pho. Today, I will show you how to make delicious Beef Pho at home. Let's get to it.
Authenticity
The purpose of this recipe is to be accessible to anyone and everyone. My goal is not to make the most authentic Beef Pho but rather make a version that isn't overly complicated and that anyone will feel like they can make. Having said that, this beef Pho is excellent and tastes just like what you'll find at most Pho restaurants. So, if you are looking for strict authenticity, you will have to look somewhere else. However, if you are looking for a Pho recipe that is easy enough to make at home and tastes amazing, keep reading.
Making Broth
Store-bought versus homemade broth.
I made my broth from scratch, and I will walk you through how to do that. But, you can skip this step and use storebought beef broth if you'd prefer. I had actually intended to do that, but my local grocery store was out of beef broth, so I had to make my own. I lightly oiled a roasting pan then placed one pound of Korean-style beef short ribs on it. (Korean-style short ribs are the ones that are sliced thin.) I also put one whole onion, peeled and cut in half on the roasting pan along with a two to a three-inch piece of ginger, one stalk of celery, and four cloves of peeled garlic. This went in the oven at 400°f for thirty minutes. If you use store-bought stock, you can skip this step altogether.
Beef Pho Broth
Once the meat and vegetables have been roasted, put them in a large pot with Chinese five-spice, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, water, and green onion. You can find all the measurements in the recipe below. Bring the broth to a boil, turn the heat down to low and simmer for one hour. Strain the broth, save the meat, and discard the vegetables. I'll explain in a moment what to do with store-bought broth.
Pho Noodles
While the broth is cooking, you can make your noodles. Pho noodles are rice noodles. You can buy thick or thin ones, that's up to you. These are the only ones I can buy here, and they worked pretty well. Every rice noodle is going to cook differently, so follow the instructions on the package. Rice noodles have a nice chewy texture and the added benefit of being naturally gluten-free. Cook the noodles, rinse them well in cold water, drain them, then cover them and put them in the fridge until you are ready to use them. They will last in the fridge for up to three days. If they are all stuck together when you want to use them, rinse them in cold water, and they will come right apart.
Soup Ingredients
The soup ingredients are the meat from the short ribs, cut into small cubes, a sliced onion, a thinly sliced clove of garlic, a bag of bean sprouts, some bok choy or cabbage, and a serrano or jalapeno pepper. You can add julienne carrots, celery, daikon, or just about anything else you want to to this soup. That's part of the beauty of it.
Making The Soup
To make the soup, put the broth back in the pot and add the onions and garlic. Boil for about ten minutes before adding in the meat, bean sprouts and serrano pepper. Cook for another three to five minutes, then add in the bok choy and finish with the juice of half a lime. Taste the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Making the soup with store-bought broth.
If you start your soup with store-bought broth, this is where you are going to start. But, things are going to go a little differently. Start by heating your pot over medium-high heat with a few teaspoons of canola oil. Add in one cup of thinly sliced onion and cook for three to four minutes or until the onion starts to soften. Add two tablespoons of thinly sliced garlic and a tablespoon of grated ginger. Cook for another minute, then add in two litres of beef broth. Bring to a boil, add the same amount of Chinese five-spice, soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and salt as you would in the regular recipe. Boil for five minutes. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add one cup of thinly sliced steak, two sliced green onions, the bean sprouts and the serrano pepper. Cook for five minutes, then add the bok choy, lime and salt to taste.
Finishing and Serving The Beef Pho
Put a handful of the cooked rice noodles in the bottom of a large bowl. Add a ladle full or two of the soup. Top the soup with a few fresh basil leaves (preferably Thai basil if you can find it, but regular basil will do) and a few fresh cilantro leaves. Serve the soup with a lime wedge and some Sambal and Hoisin on the side so each person can sweeten and spice their soup how they'd like.
Note: I use VH Hoisin becasue it is gluten-free. It is not the best Hoisin you're going to find. For that, try the Lee Kum Kee brand. You can find that in most grocery stores in the international foods section.
Ingredients
Pho Broth
- 1 lb of Korean short ribs or Osso Bucci
- 1 celery stalk, cut into four evenly sized pieces
- 1 onion medium onion, peeled and cut in half
- 1 2 inch piece of ginger cut in half
- 3 lg cloves of garlic, peeled
- 2 ½ l cold water
- 2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 green onions
Pho
- 1 cup thinly sliced onions
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced garlic
- 2 cups short rib meat cut into small pieces
- 2 cup bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
- 1 head bok choy sliced
- 1 serrano pepper, thinly sliced or jalapeno
- the juice of half a lime
- 200 g rice noodles cooked according to the package instructions
- fresh basil and cilantro, and sambal and hoisin for garnish.
Instructions
Pho Broth
- Place the short ribs, celery, onion, ginger and garlic on a lightly oiled sheet pan. Roast in a 400°f oven for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and put the roasted food in a large pot.
- To the pot, add the water, 5 spice, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, and green onions. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat to low and simmer for one hour.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve. Separate the meat from the vegetables. Discard the vegetables. Remove the bone from the meat and cut the meat into one-centimetre pieces.
Making the Soup
- Clean the pot and return the broth to it.
- Add the sliced onion and garlic to the broth and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the meat back into the pot along with the bean sprouts and boil for another three minutes before adding in the bok choy and serrano pepper. Cook for two more minutes, then take the pot off the heat, taste the soup and season with salt as needed. Finish the soup with the juice of half a lime.
- Place a handful of the cooked noodles in a large bowl. Top with a ladle or two of the soup, then garnish with a few fresh basil leaves, some cilantro, and some Sambal and Hoisin sauce.
The Wrap Up
Whether making it from scratch or starting with a store-bought broth, this Beef Pho will cure what ails you and make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It is so hearty that you'll forget you're eating soup. And, it is exactly what you need on a cold winter day, or even a hot summer night with a nice cold beer or cider.
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