Connie’s notes
The meat in pho is often beef but, occasionally, you’ll find chicken in your bowl of noodle soup. The vegetables vary depending on the region in Vietnam where you get your pho.
Without noodles, it isn’t pho. So, there is no such thing as noodleless pho as some Westerners claim. It’s really just ignorance that gave birth to such a statement.
In Asia, a noodle soup is as much about the noodles as it is about the broth. Beef pho is no exception. A good broth is essential. You need meat bones, spices and herbs, and patience to draw out the flavors from the ingredients to make the broth.
If your beef bones have too little meat attached, add a slab of beef to the pot and cook along with the bones and spices.
The rice noodles can be thick or thin. It’s really a matter of preference.
Ingredients
Broth
- 800 grams soup bones (about 1.7 pounds) beef shank, tail, ribs or a combination of two or all of them
- 7 cloves
- 4 star anise
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon bark
- 5 cloves garlic (no need to peel)
- 1 small onion (or half of a medium onion), halved or quartered
- 1 one-inch knob ginger (no need to peel)
- lemongrass a few stalks, pounded (optional)
- fish sauce
- ½ kilogram beef brisket or beef short plate, in one piece, (1.1 pounds) scrubbed thoroughly with rock salt
Noodle soup
- 200 grams rice noodles (7 oz) soaked in cold water for 15 minutes then drained
- cilantro stems and leaves
- sliced scallions
- lime wedges
Instructions
Make the broth
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Rinse the bones and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Lay the bones in a baking tray and roast in the oven until the edges are nicely browned.
- Toast the cloves, coriander seeds and star anise in an oil-free pan. Set aside.
- Spread the cinnamon bark, garlic, onion, ginger and lemongrass in another baking sheet and roast in the oven until nicely charred.
- Dump the roasted bones, spices and vegetables into a pot and pour in four liters of water.
- Pour in a quarter cup of fish sauce.
- Bring to the boil. Allow to boil, uncovered, for about ten minutes.
- Slide in the slab of brisket (or short plate), leave until boiling then leave to boil for another ten minutes.
- Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about three hours or until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Taste the broth occasionally and add more fish sauce, as needed.
Assemble your beef pho
- Scoop out the beef, transfer to a chopping board and cut into slices.
- Strain the broth, discard the bones, herbs and spices, pour back into the pot and bring to a gentle boil.
- Drop the noodles into the broth, cook just until softened, drain and divide among individual bowls.
- Arrange beef slices on top of the noodles.
- Add cilantro, scallions and lime wedges (or serve these on the side).
- Pour in hot broth and serve.
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