Beef Pho is a comforting Vietnamese soup known for its aromatic, clear broth and tender slices of beef.
To make this dish, start by simmering beef bones with charred onions, ginger, and spices like star anise, cinnamon, and cloves for several hours to extract deep flavors.
Once the broth is rich and flavorful, strain it and add thin rice noodles, cooking them until just tender. Thinly slice raw beef and add it to the hot soup, allowing it to cook just enough in the residual heat.
Serve your pho with fresh herbs like cilantro and basil, bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime, and a dash of hoisin or sriracha for a personalized touch of flavor. This dish is perfect for warming up on chilly days or soothing a cold. Recipe Source: AllRecipes.com. We may earn a commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Beef Pho
Ingredients
Broth:
- 5 pounds beef soup bones
- 1 tablespoon salt divided
- 2 gallons water
- 2 medium onions quartered
- 1 4 inch piece fresh ginger root
- 2 pounds beef oxtail
- 1 white daikon radish, sliced
- 2 ounces whole star anise pods
- ½ 3 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- salt to taste
Other:
- 1 ½ pounds dried flat rice noodles
- ½ pound frozen beef sirloin
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Make broth: Place beef bones in a 9-quart (or larger) pot; season with 1 teaspoon salt. Pour water into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer broth for about 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven’s broiler. Line a 10×15-inch roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- Place onions and unpeeled ginger onto the prepared roasting pan and cook under the preheated broiler, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are charred, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Cool slightly. Chop onions, then peel and slice ginger; set aside separately.
- Skim fat from surface of simmering broth. Add oxtail, radish, and charred onions to broth. Tie charred ginger, anise, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni; add to broth. Stir in sugar, fish sauce, and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Simmer over medium-low heat for at least 4 hours (the longer, the better). Season with salt.
- Strain broth. Discard bones and bouquet garni. Reserve meat from bones for another use. Chill broth in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
- Skim and discard fat from the top of chilled broth. Pour broth into a pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and keep hot until ready to serve.
- Bring a pot of water to a boil. Turn off heat. Stir in rice noodles and let sit until noodles are tender yet chewy, 6 to 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut frozen sirloin into paper-thin slices.
- Drain and divide noodles among bowls, about 1 1/2 cups per serving. Top each with a few sirloin slices. Ladle hot broth over sirloin and noodles.
- Serve and enjoy!
