Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Hi. My name is Vicky and I'm a pho-coholic.

If you love Vietnamese food, no doubt you have tried Vietnamese rice noodle soup, Pho.Pho is served in practically every Vietnamese restaurant here in the States, so much so that people think Vietnamese food is mainly pho. It is just the tip of the iceberg in Vietnamese cuisine but it's the most iconic of them all.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Beef Bones for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Beef Bones for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

There are two major types of pho: pho bo (beef) and pho ga (chicken). The beef version is fancier than the chicken version. Therefore, taking longer to cook. The beef version is made and eaten with assorted cuts and parts of beef. The stock is made from beef shank, neck and ox tail. The meaty toppings include thinly sliced eye-round beef steak, flank, brisket, beef balls, tendon and tripe. It's also spiced with more aromatics than the chicken version: cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, coriander, and cloves.

Dried Spices for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Dried Spices for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Both versions are served in a piping hot bowl, topped with chopped green onions, white onions and cilantro. A platter of Thai Basil, lime wedges, bean sprouts and sliced jalapenos also accompany the bowl. If you're lucky, you may also get the hard-to-find culantro (ngo gai) herb in your vegetable platter.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

In Vietnam, Pho is very popular for breakfast. Vendors shop for the freshest ingredients in the wee hours of the morning to make the deep and flavorful stock in time for the morning rush hour. Locals would stop by for a hearty and delicious breakfast-in-a-bowl before heading to work.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup is labor intensive and all the components take up a lot of space in the fridge. So when I crave for pho at home, I make a large pot and pretty much have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because the taste is simply un-pho-gettable, I don't mind having it several times a day.

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò)

Vietnamese meat balls and rare slices of eye-of-round beef

Vietnamese meat balls and rare slices of eye-of-round beef

Thai basil, onion, limes, green onions, cilantro, Hoisin sauce, and Sriracha sauce

Thai basil, onion, limes, green onions, cilantro, Hoisin sauce, and Sriracha sauce

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho Bo)

The most iconic Vietnamese dish of them all, Pho. It's considered Vietnam's national dish and you can find it in every Vietnamese restaurant here in the states. Pho consists of either chicken or beef broth with rice noodles, herbs, and various cuts of meat. This recipe is the beef version, Pho Bo.

Ingredients

Beef Stock

Pho Meaty Toppings

Noodles & Vegetable Toppings

Instructions

  1. Clean the beef bones. Cleaning the bones will rid of all the impurities and ensure a clear broth. To clean the bones, bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a rolling boil. Add beef bones (except shank with bone marrow) and boil for 2-3 minutes. For shanks with bone marrow, quickly dunk them in the boiling salted water. This way the shanks are cleaned but the marrow does not melt away. Remove the bones and give them a rinse and drain dry.
  2. In another large pot, add water (6 quarts) and bring to a boil. Add cleaned bones, roasted shallots, and ginger to the pot. Cook for 2 hours, semi-covered on a low simmer. Occasionally, use a ladle or mesh strainer to skim off the impurities that float to the top and discard.
  3. Remove all the aromatics and bones from the stock and discard. There may be a good amount of tender meat on the bones (particularly ox tail) so remove the meat from the bones and set aside as a meaty topping before discarding bones.
  4. 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.
  5. Season stock with rock sugar, fish sauce and salt. Start with a little at a time and adjust to your taste. If you feel like the pho is still lacking and you're looking for more of an authentic restaurant taste, add the MSG and bouillon powder. Again, a little at a time to your taste.
  6. When ready to serve, bring a small pot of water to a boil and blanch a large handful of rice noodles for a few seconds. Add cooked noodles to a serving bowl. 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 chopped cilantro. Serve with hoisin and sriracha sauce, and a small platter of bean sprouts, Thai basil, jalapeno slices, and lime wedges.

Notes

If you are using the pho spice seasoning packet, 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 cardamon.

Nutrition Facts

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Vicky Pham

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