Beef Pho Recipe (Pho Bo) - Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
A delicious homemade recipe for Pho Bo (beef pho), Vietnamese beef noodle soup, cooked on the stovetop. This pho broth is rich with flavor from beef bones cooking in aromatics for 3-4 hours. Simply delicious.
Ingredients
For the Pho Broth
- 2 medium onions, peeled and halved
- 1 knob ginger (2-3 inches), sliced in half
- 3-4 lbs beef bones
- 1 package Old Man Que Huong Pho Bac Spice Seasoning
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup fish sauce
- water to fill your pot
To Assemble the Pho
- 1 package dried rice noodles (or fresh noodles if available)
- 1/2 lb beef sirloin, thinly sliced (top or bottom beef sirloin, or eye of round)
- 1 onion thinly sliced, soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
- 1 bunch of cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1 handful bean sprouts
- 1 bunch Thai basil
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 or 2 limes, cut into wedges
- Hoisin sauce
- Sriracha sauce
Instructions
Making the Pho Broth
- Lightly char the onions and ginger so that they release their flavor. You can do this on high heat over the stove. Or you can broil them in the oven.
- In a large pot, bring the beef bones to a boil to release their impurities. Boil for 10 minutes. You can remove from heat when you see all the scum and gross gunk float to the top.
- Rinse the beef bones under cold water. Rinse each piece well to ensure there is no gunk sticking to them.
- In a medium saucepan, toast the dried spices for 1-2 minutes, or until they release a little aroma. (You don't want them burnt, just slightly toasted.) Remove from heat and place inside a cheesecloth bag.
- In a large stockpot (12 quarts or 16 quarts), add the charred onions and ginger, beef bones, and cheesecloth with aromatics. Fill it with water to its max capacity. Bring it to a boil, uncovered.
- Add sugar and fish sauce. Lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for at least 3 hours. (The longer the better. You can also add more water as you go if simmering for longer than 3 hours.)
- Taste the broth. If it's not salty enough, add more salt or fish sauce. If not sweet enough to your liking, add more sugar. I thought the broth was perfect to my taste, so I left it alone.
- Strain the broth. Throw away the onion and ginger. If there is meat on the beef bones, use a small knife and scrap the meat and tendon off. You can add this meat to the pho bowl.
Assembling the Pho Bowls
- If you're using dried rice noodles, soak them in water for 20 minutes. Then cook them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes until they are soft (but not mushy). If you are using fresh rice noodles, you don't need to soak them in water. Only dip them in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the noodles to a bowl. Top with raw beef (and any leftover bone meat), sliced onion, cilantro, green onions, and bean sprouts.
- Ladle the boiling hot beef broth over the noodles. This will cook the raw beef.
- Eat with Thai basil, a squirt of lime, a dash of hoisin sauce, and Sriracha sauce for heat. Enjoy!
