How to cook beef pho with its distinctive aroma, clear and sweet broth, rich flavor, and soft, chewy noodles is described below to help you make a bowl of authentic pho. With detailed instructions and vivid illustrations, you will find that cooking delicious beef pho is not too difficult and will completely win over your guests.
Ingredients
2 kg beef bones
1.2 kg beef tenderloin
0.7 kg beef shank
1 kg pho noodles
400g onions
200g lemongrass
Purple onions
Ginger
Herbs for broth: dried cinnamon, cardamom, orange peel, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds
Garnishes: green onions, cilantro, Thai basil, lime, chili peppers, basil, perilla
Beef pho seasonings: salt, fish sauce, seasoning powder, rock sugar
Prepare the ingredients
Peel the onions, slice one part thinly, and chop the other part into wedges.
Wash the cilantro and chop it finely.
Separate the green onion tops from the stems and chop the stems finely.
Wash the accompanying vegetables and drain them.
Pho spice packet
Place dried cinnamon, cardamom, orange peel, star anise, cloves, and coriander seeds into a clean cloth bag and tie it tightly.
To cook beef pho broth
Wash the beef bones thoroughly. Place a pot of water on the stove with a little lemongrass and bring to a boil. Add the bones and blanch briefly to remove any unpleasant odors.
Remove the blanched bones, place them in a tray with ginger, shallots, and sliced onions, and roast until the bones are golden brown. Remove the bones from the oven and immediately place them in a bowl of ice water.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the roasted beef bones, the spice packet you just made, onions, roasted ginger, and lemongrass to the pot. Simmer the bones for about 5–6 hours to extract the sweet broth. While the bones are simmering, boil the beef shank until cooked. Note that once the beef shank is cooked, remove it immediately; if left too long, the meat will become mushy. Then remove the ingredients and strain the broth.
Place the strained broth in a pot on the stove, season with a little salt, MSG, seasoning powder, and rock sugar to taste, bring to a boil, and turn off the heat.
Presentation and enjoyment
Wash the beef tenderloin and slice thinly.
Slice the beef chuck thinly.
Blanch the bean sprouts and green onions in boiling water.
Blanch the rice noodles in boiling water.
Place the bean sprouts, green onions, and rice noodles in a bowl. Arrange the beef shank, beef tenderloin, scallions, cilantro, onion, and sliced chili peppers on top, then pour the broth over everything.
Enjoy the pho with accompanying vegetables, chili sauce, and black bean sauce.
Tips
Roast ginger and onions: Roasted ginger is a particularly important spice, helping to make the broth fragrant and warm.
Prepare the beef shank: Boil until cooked, then immediately dip into cold water, hang to drain, and store in the refrigerator to prevent the meat from turning black.
Skim the foam when simmering the bones: Skim the foam frequently to keep the broth clear and appealing.
Choose the right ingredients: Only use beef bones and beef; do not use buffalo meat as it will spoil the flavor.
Do not mix bones: Do not cook with pork or chicken bones to preserve the pure flavor of beef pho.
Blanch the pho noodles correctly: The blanching water must be boiling to remove any odor. Dip thoroughly, shake off excess water, then place in a bowl. When adding the pho noodles, use chopsticks to gently stir so the strands don't stick together.
Ladle the broth correctly: When ladling, pour evenly over the rare meat so that it cooks through. The broth must be boiling, and the amount of broth should only be about 1 cm above the pho noodles and meat.
Can beef bones be replaced with pork bones?
You should absolutely not replace beef bones entirely with pork bones when cooking traditional beef pho. This is because the distinctive flavor of pho comes from the combination of beef bones and meat along with specific spices.
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