Vietnamese Stir-Fried Flat Rice Noodles with Beef (Phở Xào Bò)

What is Pho Xao Bo?

Phở Xào Bò is a popular Vietnamese stir-fry with flat rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, and vegetables, all coated in a savory sauce.

A similar dish is Hủ Tiếu Xào Bò with chewier rice noodles.

At Vietnamese restaurants, you might spot a fancier version called phở áp chảo or hủ tiếu áp chảo on the menu. These are similar rice noodle dishes but the noodles are seared into a crispy flat base then topped with beef, veggies, and a thick gravy.

This recipe skips the extra steps, making it simpler for a home cooked version.

What You Will Need

• Pho noodles: I like to use dried flat rice noodles, sometimes labeled “pho noodles.” You can find them in the dry noodle section of many Vietnamese grocery stores. You can also use fresh rice noodles, but they are a lot more delicate. The dried noodles hold up much better for stir-frying than the fresh rice noodles.
• Beef: Choose any steak cuts, such as flank, skirt, New York strip, sirloin, or ribeye. There’s no need to break the bank. Cheaper cuts work perfectly because we’ll use baking soda in this recipe to tenderize them. But do avoid cuts meant for stewing like rump roast.
• Beef Seasonings: We’ll marinate the thinly sliced beef with salt, ground black pepper, five-spice powder, baking soda with water (a restaurant hack to tenderize the beef), beaten egg, and cornstarch.
• Neutral Oil: For shallow frying.
• Vegetables: Green onions, bok choy, and/or bean sprouts are the usual suspects, but feel free to add whatever you have in the fridge—choy sum, carrots, snap peas, etc.
• Garlic, Yellow Onion, and Green Part of Green Onions: These are our aromatics of choice.
• Sauce: A mixture of light soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder/mushroom seasoning powder, Chinese five-spice powder, ground ginger, and water or stock.

To test for doneness for stir frying purpose, carefully pick up a strand and taste it. If it’s edible but still chewy, it’s ready.

Be careful not to overcook, as the noodles may break into short segments when stir frying. It’s better to undercook them since they can finish cooking during the stir-frying process.

Step 3: Fry the Beef

Drain all the water from the skillet if you’re reusing the same skillet. Make sure it’s completely dry of water before adding oil.

Add oil (about 1/4 inch for shallow frying) and heat until 350°F. Add the marinated beef and shallow fry until just browned.

If you’re using a small skillet, cook in batches to avoid overcrowding. Overcrowding can cause the food to steam instead of fry, preventing it from becoming crispy.

Transfer beef to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain off excess oil.

Step 4: Stir-Fry the Aromatics

Drain off most of the oil from the wok and leave a thin layer or about 3 tablespoons. Heat the oil on medium-high.

Step 5: Add Noodles, Sauce & Vegetables

FAQs

Why do my noodles stick together in the wok?

After blanching or soaking the noodles, toss them in oil to prevent sticking.

I like to use rendered beef fat if I have some on hand, the oil left over from pan-frying the beef slices, or simply sesame oil.

Massage them gently into the individual strands for best results.

Can I use fresh pho noodles?

You can, but they’re quite fragile and often break apart during stir-frying. If you do use fresh pho noodles (also known as flat rice noodles), look for ones with a bit of tapioca starch, which helps them hold together better.

Fresh rice noodles sold at grocery stores come stuck together, so you’ll need to separate them before cooking. The easiest way is to warm them briefly in the microwave, then gently pull them apart by hand, strand by strand.

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