How To Make Homemade Beef Pho - Vietnamese Soup

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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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