Beef Pho
Beef pho: Vietnam's national dish that lives by its broth. Why you char the aromatics and let boiling broth cook the beef in the bowl.
210 min
Medium
Vietnamita
4 servings
The story behind
A good pho lives or dies by its broth, and that broth allows no shortcuts. Vietnam's national dish, pho emerged in the early twentieth century in the country's north, around Hanoi, at a crossroads of influences: beef entered the picture partly through French colonial presence, while the rice noodles and aromatics draw on Vietnamese and Chinese cooking. The heart of it is simmering beef bones for hours over very low heat to draw out collagen and gelatin, which give the broth its body and silky mouthfeel. Before that, it pays to toast the spices like star anise and, ideally, char the onion and ginger: that charring develops deep aromas and lends the broth clarity and color. The beef is sliced paper-thin and laid raw in the bowl; the boiling broth cooks it the instant it's poured, leaving it just blushing and tender. At the table it's finished with basil, bean sprouts, lime, and chili, so each person tunes their own bowl. Breakfast, lunch, or comfort at any hour, pho fits them all.
Instructions
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1Boil the beef bones briefly and discard that first water to ensure your final broth stays perfectly clear.
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2Refill the pot with fresh water and add the charred ginger, onion, star anise, and cinnamon; simmer on very low heat for at least 3 hours.
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3Strain the broth so you're left with nothing but the aromatic liquid, then season with a bit of fish sauce.
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4Prepare the rice noodles in hot water until soft and divide them into bowls.
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5Place the raw beef slices on top of the noodles (they will cook instantly with the heat of the broth).
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6Pour the boiling broth directly over the beef and noodles.
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7Serve immediately and let everyone add their own fresh basil, bean sprouts, chili, and lime to taste.
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