Pho Soup Recipes

QUICK AND EASY PHO

Steps:

• Place a large dry pot over medium heat add the onion halves and ginger pieces. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add the broth, water, coriander, clove, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, chili garlic paste, cinnamon stick and a pinch of fresh cracked salt and pepper to the pot. Bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare noodles according to package instructions. Once soft, drain, rinse and set aside.
• Ready the garnishes in individual small bowls for serving: cilantro, basil, green onions, bean sprouts, lime wedges and sliced chilies.
• 1-5 minutes before the broth is done cooking, add desired meat to the broth to cook, just until done (2-3 minutes for raw, thinly sliced chicken or pork, 1-2 minutes for shrimp or thinly sliced steak).
• Discard the ginger, clove, cinnamon stick and onion pieces from the pot.
• Divide the noodles among bowls; ladle broth on top (and meat). Add desired toppings.

PHO RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the bones and beef chuck in large stockpot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and thoroughly clean the stockpot. This process removes any impurities/scum and will give you a much cleaner broth.
• Meanwhile, char your ginger and onions. Use tongs to hold the ginger and onions (one at a time) over an open flame, or place each directly on a gas burner. Turn until they're lightly blackened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Rinse away all the blackened skins.
• Add water (5 quarts/4.75 L, or more/less if you've scaled the recipe up or down) to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Transfer the bones and meat back to the pot, along with the charred/cleaned ginger and onions. Add the scallions, fish sauce and sugar. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beef chuck is tender, about 40 minutes. Skim the surface often to remove any foam and fat.
• Remove one piece of the chuck and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Then transfer this piece of beef to a container and refrigerate (you will slice this to serve with your pho later. If you were to leave it in the pot, it would be too dry to eat). Leave the other piece of chuck in the pot to flavor the broth.
• Now toast the spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds) in a dry pan over medium low heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Use kitchen string to tie up the spices in a piece of cheesecloth, and add it to the broth.
• Cover the pot and continue simmering for another 4 hours. Add the salt and continue to simmer, skimming as necessary, until you're ready to assemble the rest of the dish. Taste the broth and adjust seasoning by adding more salt, sugar, and/or fish sauce as needed.
• To serve, boil the noodles according to package instructions. Add to a bowl. Place a few slices of the beef chuck and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and ladle it into each bowl. The hot broth will cook the beef. Garnish with your toppings, and be sure to squeeze a lot of fresh lime juice over the top!

PHO

Steps:

• Make the broth: Fill a large stockpot with water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add bones, oxtail, and brisket to boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and return to stockpot.
• Meanwhile, place cloves, star anise, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds in a medium skillet and toast over medium high heat until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer spices to a plate to cool; set aside.
• Preheat broiler. Place onions, shallots, and ginger on a baking sheet and place under broiler until blistered and charred. Alternatively, using tongs, hold onions, shallots, and ginger individually over an open flame; transfer onions, shallots, ginger, and spices to stockpot with bones and meat.
• Add enough water to stockpot to cover bones, meat, onions, shallots, and ginger (32 to 40 cups). Place stockpot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Let simmer 6 to 8 hours, skimming impurities from the top as necessary.
• Remove brisket from stockpot and transfer to refrigerator; chill until firm before thinly slicing. Remove bones, oxtail, and large pieces of onions and ginger from stockpot and discard. Strain broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. Stir in fish sauce and yellow rock sugar. Skim any remaining fat from surface (refrigerating broth overnight will make this easier) and discard.
• To serve: Place noodles in a large bowl and add enough water to cover; let soak 30 minutes and drain.
• Bring broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat; add soaked noodles and cook, swishing noodles to release starch and prevent clumping. Immediately divide noodles evenly between 8 to 10 serving bowls. Top with sliced onions, scallions, and eye of the round and brisket sliced. Ladle over hot broth and serve immediately with cilantro, Thai basil, lime wedges, bean sprouts, chile, chile sauce, and hoisin sauce.

PHO BO (VIETNAMESE BEEF-AND-NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• Soak rice noodles in hot water to cover.
• Meanwhile, combine stock, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, onion and cloves in saucepan; turn heat to high. When mixture boils, turn heat to low, and cover. Let cook, undisturbed, for 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how much time you have (the longer the cooking, the deeper the flavor). Strain, and return to saucepan; turn heat to medium.
• Bring pot of water to boil. Drain noodles, add them to pot, and boil for 30 seconds; drain well. Warm 4 large bowls by filling them with hot water; discard water. Divide noodles among bowls.
• Turn heat under soup to medium, and add beef; stir once, and then turn off heat. (The meat is traditionally left rare; if you want to cook it more, go ahead, but these slices will cook through in less than 2 minutes.) Add fish sauce or soy sauce and plenty of pepper to the soup. Taste, and add salt or more seasoning, if necessary.
• Top noodles with broth and meat, and then bring to the table. Serve, passing lime wedges, scallions, chilies and herbs at the table, so that everyone can add them to taste.

PHO SOUP

Steps:

• For the base: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a roasting pan, combine the mushrooms, celery, carrots, onions, ginger, lemongrass and canola oil. Bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, transfer into a large pot and add 1 gallon of cool water. Bring to a simmer, then add the cilantro, basil and jalapenos and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain and stir in the sambal, soy sauce, sesame oil, and salt to taste.
• For the spicy vinaigrette: Whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients.
• Toss the desired medley of vegetables with spicy vinaigrette and serve on top of each soup bowl with noodles. Garnish with a fresh piece of lime.

AUTHENTIC PHO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Place beef bones on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until browned, about 1 hour.
• Place onion on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until blackened and soft, about 45 minutes.
• Place bones, onion, ginger, salt, star anise, and fish sauce in a large stockpot and cover with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for 6 to 10 hours. Strain the broth into a saucepan and set aside.
• Place rice noodles in large bowl filled with room temperature water and allow to soak for 1 hour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and after the noodles have soaked, place them in the boiling water for 1 minute. Bring stock to a simmer.
• Divide noodles among 4 serving bowls; top with sirloin, cilantro, and green onion. Pour hot broth over the top. Stir and let sit until the beef is partially cooked and no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, hoisin sauce, and chile-garlic sauce on the side.

VIETNAMESE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a small frying pan on medium heat and gently cook the shallots and garlic until caramelised and golden brown (about 4-5 mins).
• In a large saucepan, add the caramelised shallots and garlic, lemongrass, ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, Chinese five-spice, peppercorns, sugar, fish sauce, chicken stock and chicken breasts. Cover with a lid and bring to a very gentle simmer for about 15 mins.
• Meanwhile, cook the noodles, following pack instructions, until just cooked through (do not over-cook). Rinse under cold water to prevent them sticking together. Drain and divide between serving bowls.
• Strain the soup through a sieve. Discard the spices. Shred the chicken and keep to one side. Return soup to the pot and bring to a boil. Season to taste with more fish sauce if needed.
• To serve, ladle piping hot soup into bowls of noodles and chicken, and top with spring onion, carrot, bean sprouts, and herbs, plus the chilli, crispy shallots and kaffir lime leaf if using. Serve with a lime wedge to squeeze over, and more fish sauce and chilli to taste.

PHO BO: VIETNAMESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP

Steps:

• For the beef stock: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the oxtails, neck bones, and shank bones. Return the water to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Drain into colander and rinse the bones thoroughly under cold running water. Rinse the pot and return the oxtails, neck bones, and shank bones to the pot. Add water, slowly bring to a simmer, and cook for at least 6 hours. Meanwhile, roast the onion and ginger on a rimmed baking sheet for 40 minutes.
• Add the roasted onion and ginger to the simmering stock, along with the cinnamon, star anise, clove, cardamom pod, pepper, and palm sugar. Add the beef brisket and cook for 30-45 minutes; remove and allow the stock to continue to simmer, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. After 6-8 hours, remove pot from the heat and use a slotted spoon to discard the large solids. Strain the stock into soup pot through a fine-mesh sieve. (Note: To store, let cool completely; then transfer to airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Makes 6 quarts.)
• For the soup: Thinly slice the top round and use the back of your knife to tenderize the meat slices; set aside. Slice the cooked brisket against the grain in thin slices; set aside. Blanch the bean sprouts in hot water; set aside. Season the stock with a few pinches of salt and fish sauce to taste.
• Warm a serving bowl in hot water. Place the dried rice noodles in fine-mesh sieve; submerge the sieve in hot water and gently stir with tongs, 5-10 seconds. Place the cooked noodles in the warmed serving bowl. Top with brisket; then add a few slices of the top round and some chopped scallions and cilantro. Ladle the hot broth into the bowl, being careful not to submerge the top round. Serve immediately, accompanied by optional garnishes.

PHO (VIETNAMESE NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• For Dam Toi, which is used as a garnish for northern style pho, in a small bowl, combine sliced garlic, 1 cup water and 3 teaspoons salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight; drain. In a small jar, combine sliced garlic and vinegar. Heat remaining 1 cup water until hot; add to jar. Stir in sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and chiles. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight., In a large saucepan, cover beef bones with 2 liters water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and cider vinegar. In another large saucepan, cover boneless beef with remaining 1 liter water, remaining 2 tablespoons salt, wine and sliced ginger. Cover both saucepans and refrigerate 2 hours; drain (discarding ginger from boneless meat). Add enough cold water to each saucepan to cover bones and meat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 3 minutes; drain both saucepans and rinse bones and and boneless beef., Preheat oven to 425°. In a stockpot, cover bones and boneless beef with enough cold water to cover completely (about 5 liters). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, skimming and discarding foam occasionally. Simmer until foam starts to collect more slowly, about 30 minutes., Meanwhile, arrange whole onion and whole ginger on an ungreased baking sheet. Roast until slightly charred, 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and discard charred skins; set aside., In a dry small skillet, toast cinnamon sticks, anise, cardamom pods and coriander over medium heat until aromatic, 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool. Place spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose spices; tie securely with string. , Once foam is no longer collecting on surface of broth, add onion and ginger and spice bag. Stir in salt, MSG if desired and rock sugar. Simmer, uncovered, until beef is tender, about 1-1/2 hours. With tongs, remove beef to a large bowl; cool slightly. Wrap beef tightly in foil and refrigerate. , Continue simmering broth, uncovered, until broth is light golden brown and fragrant, 2-5 hours, stirring occasionally and removing any foam that collects on the surface., To serve, cook Banh Pho according to package directions; set aside. Remove beef from refrigerator and thinly slice against the grain. For each serving, in a small colander, add an individual portion of noodles and beef. Lower colander into simmering broth until beef and noodles are heated through. Add beef and noodles to a serving bowl. Top with additional broth, about 1 cup. Serve with garnishes as desired.