🇻🇳 Vietnamese Beef Pho

Pho is a clear, aromatic beef broth infused with charred ginger, star anise, and cinnamon. It is served over rice noodles with paper-thin slices of raw beef that cook instantly in the hot broth. The broth is the heart of the dish.

Ingredients

• 1.5 kg Beef Bones
• 1 kg Oxtail
• 2 Onions, halved
• 4-inch Ginger
• 5 Star Anise
• 1 Cinnamon Stick
• 1 Black Cardamom
• 4 Cloves
• 1 tbsp Coriander Seeds
• 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
• 1/4 cup Fish Sauce
• 1 tbsp Rock Sugar
• 500 g Rice Noodles
• 250 g Beef Sirloin, paper-thin
• Bean Sprouts, Thai Basil, Cilantro, Lime, Chilies

Method

1. Parboil bones 10 min. Drain and wash.
2. Char onions and ginger. Toast spices.
3. Simmer bones, aromatics, and spices in 5 L water 6 hours.
4. Strain. Season with fish sauce and rock sugar.
5. Boil noodles. Portion into bowls.
6. Lay raw beef over noodles.
7. Pour boiling broth over to cook the beef.
8. Serve with herbs, sprouts, lime, and chilies.

History

Pho was created in northern Vietnam in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in the years when Vietnam was part of French Indochina. The name is likely a Vietnamese pronunciation of the French pot-au-feu, and the dish shows clear French influence — the technique of making a long-simmered beef broth, and the use of charred aromatics, are both French techniques that were adapted to Vietnamese ingredients. The dish became popular in Hanoi in the 1920s and 1930s, and after the partition of Vietnam in 1954, southern refugees brought it to Saigon and eventually to the rest of the world. Today there are two main styles: Hanoi pho, which is simpler and clearer, and Saigon pho, which has a sweeter broth and more garnishes.

The science

The clarity of a good pho broth comes from careful skimming and gentle simmering. If the broth boils hard, the fat and impurities emulsify into the liquid and the broth turns cloudy. If it simmers gently, the fat rises to the surface where it can be skimmed off, and the impurities stay on the surface where they can be removed. The charring of the ginger and onions is another important step: it caramelises the sugars in the vegetables and adds a smoky depth that raw aromatics would not provide. The spices — star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, fennel, and cardamom — are toasted before going into the pot, which activates their oils and makes the broth more aromatic. Finally, the broth must be served boiling hot, because the raw beef slices are cooked by the heat of the broth as it is poured over them.

Substitutions

Beef bones and oxtail are traditional, but you can use beef shank, chuck, or even short ribs — anything with plenty of connective tissue. For a chicken pho (pho ga), use a whole chicken and simmer the broth for 2 hours rather than 6. Fish sauce is essential and cannot be easily substituted — if you need a vegan version, use a strong mushroom stock with soy sauce and a little seaweed for umami. Rice noodles are the traditional choice, but you can use any flat rice noodle. The garnishes — Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime, and chili — are not optional; they are what give the dish its fresh, bright character.

Chef's tip

Freeze the beef 30 min before slicing — it makes razor-thin slices easy.

Drink pairing

Vietnamese iced coffee. The strong, sweet coffee provides a rich counterpoint to the delicate, aromatic broth, and the contrast between hot soup and cold coffee is part of the experience.