How to Make Authentic Vietnamese Pho (Pho Bo)

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4.85 from 19 ratings

How to Make Authentic Vietnamese Pho (Pho Bo)

This Vietnamese Pho recipe is a detailed guide on how to make your own pho noodle soup.

Prep Time30

Cook Time3

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Vietnamese

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: beef pho, pho bo, traditional vietnamese pho, vietnamese beef pho, vietnamese pho

Servings: people

Calories: 899kcal

Author: Becca Du

Equipment

Ingredients

Broth

1 ½ lb beef chuck
1 ½ lb oxtail
1 ½ lb beef shank
1 tsp salt
2 tsp coriander seeds
2 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp cardamom seeds
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 daikon cut into chunks
1 yellow onion
1 ginger 2 inch piece

Toppings

2 packages pho noodles
1 tbsp fish sauce
bean sprouts to taste
2 stalks green onions minced
2 stalks cilantro minced
Thai basil to taste
jalapeno peppers to taste thinly sliced

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Put the beef shank, ox tail, and beef chuck in a large pot with enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil. Once the water boils, take the meat out and set aside. Pour out all the water and put the meat back into the pot. (Throwing away the water gets rid of most of the impurities and any gross flavors from the meat.) Add fresh water to the soup pot until it just covers the meat and the salt. Be careful not to add too much water as it will make the soup weak in flavor. Bring water to a boil.
While the water is boiling in the step above, place the onion and ginger in the oven for 20 minutes on broil. Set aside.
Next, saute the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, cardamom seeds, star anise, and cinnamon stick for 1-3 minutes until you smell a toasty aroma. Add all the spices to a piece of cheese cloth. Tie the corners together to create a spice pouch. Set aside.
Once the water in the soup pot boils, scoop away any impurities you see. Add the onion, ginger, daikon, and spice pouch. Simmer for an hour. Continue to check on the soup every 15 minutes and scoop away any impurities you see. This will ensure that your soup appears clean.
Once the soup has simmered for an hour, take out the beef chuck and slice into thin pieces and set aside. Simmer for another 30 minutes and then take out the ox tail and beef shank. Remove the meat from the bones. Thinly slice the meat and set aside. Put the bones back into the soup pot.
Simmer for another 1 ½ hours more. The soup should be done after this time period. Take the spice pouch out of the soup and throw away.
Cooking the noodles: Boil water and add in the pho noodles. Let it simmer for about 2 minutes or until noodles are done. If you are using fresh noodles, submerge noodles in boiling water for 5-10 seconds and they're done!
Put some noodles in a soup bowl. Add fish sauce, bean sprouts, cilantro, and green onions on top. All these toppings are optional. Leave off any you don't like! Top it off with some of the beef chuck, beef shank, and ox tail meat you set aside earlier. Finally, ladle enough soup into the bowl so that it covers the noodles and toppings to your liking.
Optional: Season with hoison sauce and sriracha to your liking.

Video

Notes

The longer you simmer your broth, the more flavor it will have. I like to make the broth a day before I want to eat it.
What type of noodles to use. I highly recommend fresh noodles as they make a huge difference in your final bowl. If you can't find fresh noodles, any kind of dried rice noodles work.
Storage Instructions. Each component should be stored separately. Store pho broth in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days and up to 3 months in the freezer. The rest of the ingredients like the noodles and the vegetables can be stored in the fridge for the same time. The vegetables sometimes last up to a week.

Nutrition