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–+ servings
beef pho

Vietnamese Beef Phở

Tasty savory broth with tender beef, rice noodles, aromatics and chili
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Course Lunch, Main Course, Soup
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb 85/15 ground beef
  • 1 large onion cut in half and peeled and 1 half thinly sliced
  • 2 quarts beef stock
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce plus more for seasoning
  • 4 inch piece ginger washed and sliced
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 6 star anise pods
  • 1 tbsp whole cloves
  • 2 tbsp sugar plus extra for seasoning
  • salt to taste
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 3 cardamom pods

For serving:

  • 1-2 lbs boneless strip steak thinly sliced
  • 1 package rice noodles
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro
  • 1/2 bunch thai or regular basil
  • sliced fresh or pickled jalapenos
  • 1 package bean sprouts washed
  • fresh limes or vinegar or both
  • hoisin sauce
  • sriracha sauce
  • lots of shallots peeled, sliced and fried in oil until crispy optional but SO good

Instructions
 

For the broth:

  • Add beef stock plus 4 cups of water to a stock pot. Crumble in the ground beef (you don’t need to brown it first, it is just for adding flavor and will be removed later – you can use it in something else or let your dog eat some like I do). Add the spices, sugar, fish sauce, onion, and ginger. Bring to a boil and then simmer for an hour or longer to really flavor the broth. Don’t worry about all the gross meat foam. You are going to strain this broth later and it will be removed.
  • After the broth is done, remove from the heat and let it cool off some. Line a strainer with cheese cloth, a clean kitchen towel (not the fuzzy kind), or some clean paper towels, and strain the broth through it. You want just the clear broth at the end. Taste it and adjust with fish sauce, salt and sugar.

For the rest of the dish:

  • This dish usually uses very thinly sliced raw beef that is added to the hot broth in the serving bowl and it cooks a bit in there. Since I am spending money on steak for this, I like to do it a little differently to give the beef the most flavor possible. I heat a frying pan with a little oil to very hot (smoking oil hot) and throw in the thinly cut beef and let it sit without stirring for maybe 20-30 seconds. Enough to get some browning on the meat. Then stir around a little and remove from the hot pan. You want to still see some raw beef spots but with some good char on the meat. The meat will cook a little more in the broth when served so don’t over cook it.
  • Cook the rice noodles according to the package. Place into individual bowls and ladle the hot broth over and add the steak. Serve the bowls with all the sauces, fried shallots and herbs on the side.
Keyword Asian, Beef, Lunch, Main Dish, Soup
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