Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)
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Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)
Savor the wonderful flavors of Vietnam with this traditional beef pho recipe.
This Southern-style variation of beef pho features flat rice noodles with tender beef slices in an aromatic and hearty beef broth, all complemented by fresh herbs and customizable toppings.
Enjoy the same great taste as your favorite Vietnamese pho restaurant but for a fraction of the cost and in the comfort of your own kitchen.
What is Phở?
Pho, pronounced as “Fuh” in the tone of a question, is the national dish of Vietnam. It originated in the early 20th century in Northern Vietnam and made popular all over the world by refugees after the Vietnam War.
Different parts of Vietnam offer different styles of pho. Northern regions offer a more savory broth with fewer toppings whereas Southern regions offer a sweeter broth, with a lot more variety of herbs, vegetables, and meats.
The two most popular types of pho noodle soups are chicken pho (Pho Ga) and beef pho (Pho Bo). In this recipe, we will be focusing on Southern-style beef pho.
Fresh pho rice noodles
Beef Bones for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)
Beef Phở Broth
To prepare the broth for beef pho, a combination of beef bones and tough meaty cuts is simmered together with ginger and onions. These include beef shank, beef neck bones, oxtail, beef knuckle bones, flank steak, and brisket.
After hours of simmering, the broth is infused with a blend of toasted spices, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, coriander, cloves, and sometimes fennel.
Once the flavors have melded together, the broth is strained to achieve a clear consistency, then seasoned with salt, sugar, fish sauce, and optionally, MSG.
The meaty beef cuts that have been simmering in the broth are then thinly sliced and used as a topping. Other meaty toppings include cooked beef balls, beef tendons, beef tripe, and thinly sliced eye-round beef steak that is served rare to be briefly cooked by hot broth.
Dried Spices for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)
How to Serve Phở
Beef pho is typically served in a large, deep bowl and presented in the following way:
Noodles and meats: The bowl is filled with cooked flat rice noodles and an assortment of tender beef meats.
Aromatic broth: The noodles and meats are then submerged in a flavorful and aromatic beef broth.
Garnishes: The bowl is garnished with chopped green onions, cilantro, and thinly sliced yellow onions.
Accompaniments: A small platter of fresh herbs and condiments is served alongside the bowl. These typically include Thai basil, mung bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced jalapenos, hoisin sauce, and sriracha chili sauce.
The Broth for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)
How to Eat Phở
There's no strict right or wrong way to eat pho. The beauty lies in personalizing the experience to your liking but here is my suggested approach on how to eat pho:
First, take a moment to appreciate the enticing fragrance of the broth and the herbs when it arrived at the table. Then take a sip of the broth to appreciate it in its purest form.
Customize the taste if needed. Feel free to squeeze in a bit of lime juice for acidity, a squirt of hoisin for a savory sweetness and sriracha for a spicy kick. Many young kids, including mine, skip this step entirely, which is a sign of good broth.
If you enjoy the vegetables provided, add them to the bowl. If you don’t like them, leave them out. I like to add a handful of bean sprouts, a ton of basil leaves, and a couple of slices of jalapenos or red chili peppers.
I like to prepare a small plate with hoisin and sriracha chili sauce on the side to dip the beef slices.
For me, it’s a three-step eating process. First, use chopsticks to grab noodles with all the herbs and vegetables and enjoy that first bite. Dip meat slices in hoisin and sriracha sauce for the second bite. Finally, follow with a sip of broth. Repeat until done.
Related Posts
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also enjoy:
Instant Pot Beef Pho
Hanoi-Style Beef Noodle Soup with Wok-Seared Steak and Garlic
Traditional Vietnamese Chicken Pho
Spicy Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Bun Bo Hue)
Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwich)
Garnishes and vegetables for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)
Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)
Ingredients
Instructions
- Cleaning the bones will get rid of all the impurities and ensure a clear broth. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add beef bones and boil for 8 minutes or until foam float to the top. If using marrow bones, boil for only 3 minutes. Any longer will remove the marrow, which would not be good. Remove the bones from the pot and rinse the bones well under cold running water. Discard the water and clean the pot.
- Peel the shallots and slice the ginger into thick coins. Transfer shallots and ginger to a baking tray and roast in the toaster oven at 400°F for 20 minutes or until lightly charred on the edges.
- In the clean pot, add water (5 quarts) and bring to a boil. Add cleaned bones, shallots, and ginger. Cook for 2 hours, uncovered on a low simmer. Occasionally, use a ladle or mesh strainer to skim off any impurities that float to the top and discard.
- Remove all the aromatics and bones from the stock and discard. There may be a good amount of tender meat on the bones so remove the meat from the bones and set aside as a meaty topping before discarding bones.
- In a small frying pan, dry roast (no oil) the spices for about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Shake them around to prevent burning. Wrap the roasted spices in a cheesecloth or if you are using the pho spice seasoning packet, use the accompanying spice bag. Add to stockpot. Simmer on low for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the spice packet.
- Season stock with rock sugar, fish sauce, salt and MSG (optional). Start with a little at a time and adjust to your taste.
- Cook rice noodles per package instructions. Divide noodles evenly between eight bowls. Add your choices of meat with the raw slices of eye-round beef steak on top. Ladle hot broth over the raw beef slices. Top with a bit of white/yellow onions, green onions, and cilantro. Serve with hoisin and sriracha sauce, and a small platter of bean sprouts, Thai basil, jalapenos, lime, and enjoy.
Notes
Alternative to individual spices, use 1 pho spice seasoning packet with spice bag. You can reuse the accompanying spice cloth bag after a wash. The spices in these convenient packets will vary slightly, but it won't make a noticeable difference. In this particular spice packet, there is fennel instead of cardamom.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
638Fat
13 gSat. Fat
5 gCarbs
111 gFiber
5 gNet carbs
106 gSugar
8 gProtein
18 gSodium
1513 mgCholesterol
45 mgThe values provided should be considered estimates. Factors such as brands purchased, natural variations in fresh ingredients, etc. will change the nutritional information in any recipe. To obtain accurate nutritional information for a recipe, use your preferred nutrition calculator to determine nutritional information with the actual ingredients and quantities used.
