Vietnamese Pho recipe
Total Time
3 hours and 20 minutes
Prep Time
20 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours
Rating
4.99 out of 5 stars
(106)
Ingredients
6 servings
- 2 large onions (, halved)
- 150g / 5oz ginger (, sliced down the centre)
- 10 star anise
- 4 cinnamon quills
- 4 cardamon pods
- 3 cloves (the spice cloves!)
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1.5kg / 3lb beef brisket
- 1kg / 2lb meaty beef bones
- 1kg / 2lb marrow bones (leg, knuckle), cut to reveal marrow)
- 3.5 litres / 3.75 quarts water (15 cups)
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 tbsp salt
- 40 ml / 3 tbsp fish sauce (Note 2)
- 50g / 1.5 oz dried rice sticks (or 120g/4oz fresh) (Note 3)
- 30g / 1 oz beef tenderloin, raw, very thinly sliced (Note 4)
- 3 - 5 brisket slices (used for broth)
- Beansprouts, handful
- Thai basil, 3 - 5 sprigs
- Coriander/cilantro, 3 - 5 sprigs (or more basil)
- Lime wedges*
- Finely sliced red chilli*
- Hoisin sauce*
- Sriracha* (for spiciness)
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Preparation
Step 1
Aromatics
Step 2
Heat a heavy based skillet over high heat (no oil) until smoking.
Step 3
Place onion and ginger in pan cut side down. Cook for a few minutes until it's charred, then turn. Remove and set aside.
Step 4
Toast Spices lightly in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 3 minutes.
Step 5
Remove impurities:
Step 6
Rinse bones & brisket then cover with water in large stock pot.
Step 7
Boil for 5 minutes, then drain.
Step 8
Rinse each bone and brisket under tap water.
Step 9
Broth:
Step 10
Wipe pot clean, bring 3.5 litres / 3.75 quarts water to boil.
Step 11
Add bones and brisket, onion, ginger, Spices
Step 12
Add onion, ginger, Spices, sugar and salt - water should just barely cover everything.
Step 13
Cover with lid, simmer 3 hours.
Step 14
Remove brisket (should be fall-apart tender), cool then refrigerate for later.
Step 15
Simmer remaining soup UNCOVERED for 40 minutes.
Step 16
Strain broth into another pot, discard bones and spices. Should be about 2.5 litres / 2.65 quarts (10 cups), if loads more, reduce.
Step 17
Add fish sauce, adjust salt and sugar if needed. Broth should be beefy, fragrant with spices, savoury and barely sweet.
Step 18
Assemble:
Step 19
Prepare rice noodles per packet, just prior to serving.
Step 20
Place noodles in bowl. Top with raw beef and brisket.
Step 21
Ladle over about 400 / 14 oz hot broth - will cook beef to medium rare.
Step 22
Serve with Toppings on the side!
Step 23
Save recipe for the next time?
