Vietnamese Pho
Vietnamese Pho is a steaming hot bowl of fragrant beef broth, infused with aromatic herbs and spices, filled with slices of tender beef, thin rice noodles, fresh vegetables and herbs. It’s bursting with flavor and texture and is the perfect comfort food for any time of the year, whether you are looking for a quick lunch or a satisfying dinner.
Servings: 2 large bowls/4 small bowls
Ingredients
- 1 large onion peeled and quartered
- 5 star anise (8 robust points total—each pod)
- 2-3 black cardamom pods
- 1 Tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 3 inches (3oz) fresh ginger peeled, halved lengthwise
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 8 cups good quality beef broth
- 3-4 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon organic cane sugar (or 2 teaspoons real maple syrup)
- ½ Tablespoon sea salt more or less according to taste
- 8 ounces raw steak very thinly sliced
- 7 ounces uncooked narrow flat rice noodles (see blog for details)
Garnishes:
- bean sprouts
- fresh herbs: cilantro, mint, and/or Thai basil
- green onions and/or white onions thinly sliced
- peppercorns freshly crushed
- Thai bird chiles or jalapenos thinly sliced
- lime wedges
- sauces: hoisin and/or siracha
Instructions
- Char onion in broiler, 8-inches from heating elements. Char for 7-10 minutes, turning occasionally to char all sides.
- Toast spices (star anise, black cardamom pods, coriander seeds) in bottom of a dry soup pot over medium high heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Crush cardamom pods slightly. Add beef stock and stir. Add charred onion, ginger, whole cloves, and cinnamon sticks. Place lid on pot. Bring to a simmer and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes (longer is better).
- Rehydrate the rice noodles: Soak the noodles in a bowl of hot tap water, covering the noodles completely, for 10 to 30 minutes until opaque and pliable. Drain, rinse off the excess starch, and set aside to drain completely.
- Strain the pho broth and discard all but the liquid broth. Return broth to soup pot and add fish sauce, sugar, and half the salt. Return to simmer with lid on.
- Add steak to broth.
- Add softened noodles to a fine mesh strainer. Dunk them in the hot broth (or separate boiling water) to heat for 5 to 60 seconds. Lift noodles from pot and divide between serving bowls. Arrange beef on top of the noodles. Garnish with bean sprouts, onions, fresh herbs, black pepper, chiles and lime wedges.
- Taste and adjust saltiness of broth one last time. Ladle into the bowls in a circular motion to heat all the ingredients in the bowl. Add sauce as needed.