Vietnamese · Soup · Medium
Pho Bo (Beef Pho)
Vietnam's soul in a bowl. Aromatic beef broth simmered for hours, poured over noodles with paper-thin raw beef that cooks at the table.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Pho Bo (Beef Pho), in 5 ideas
- The parboil is not optional. It feels wasteful to boil and dump, but it is the secret to clear broth. Impurities come out in the first boil; flavor comes out in the long simmer.
- Slice the raw beef paper thin. Partially freeze the sirloin for 30 minutes and it slices like a dream. Thick slices will not cook through in the hot broth.
- Toast the spices. Thirty seconds in a dry pan wakes up the star anise and cinnamon. You will smell the moment they are ready.
- Season boldly at the end. Fish sauce for salt, sugar for balance. The broth should taste slightly too intense on its own; the noodles and herbs will dilute it to perfect.
- Set up a garnish station. Basil, cilantro, sprouts, lime, jalapeno, hoisin, sriracha. Everyone builds their own bowl, and that customization is half the joy of pho.
What you need
Ingredients
- 3 lbs beef bones (marrow and knuckle)
- 1 lb beef brisket
- 1/2 lb sirloin or eye of round, frozen 30 mins then sliced paper thin
- 1 lb flat rice noodles (banh pho)
- 2 onions, halved
- 4 inch piece ginger, halved lengthwise
- 5 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, 1 tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/4 cup fish sauce, plus more to taste
- 1 tbsp sugar, plus more to taste
- To serve: Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced jalapeno, hoisin and sriracha
How to make it
Directions
- Char the onion halves and ginger directly over a gas flame or under the broiler until blackened in spots, about 10 minutes. Rinse off loose char. This adds a smoky depth you cannot get any other way.
- Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil, and boil hard for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the bones and the pot. This parboil keeps the final broth crystal clear.
- Return the clean bones to the pot with the brisket, charred onion and ginger, and 4 quarts of fresh cold water. Bring to a bare simmer, skim diligently for the first 30 minutes, then keep at the gentlest simmer for 3 hours.
- Toast the spices in a dry pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Tie in cheesecloth and add to the pot for the last hour.
- Remove the brisket when tender, about 2 1/2 hours in. Slice thinly. Strain the broth, season with fish sauce and sugar until it tastes deeply savory with a whisper of sweetness.
- Soak the noodles in hot water until pliable, then blanch in boiling water 30 seconds. Divide among deep bowls with brisket slices and raw beef slices arranged on top.
- Ladle the boiling broth over everything. The heat cooks the raw beef in seconds. Serve with all the herbs, sprouts, lime, and sauces on the side.
Never let it boil. A rolling boil makes the broth cloudy and muddy tasting. The gentlest lazy simmer, with just a bubble breaking the surface now and then, gives you that clear amber liquid.