Plan your whole week in seconds
Try it free
Beef Pho
Vietnam's soul-warming noodle soup — a deeply aromatic bone broth perfumed with star anise, cinnamon and charred ginger.
30 mins
240 mins
6 people
Vietnamese
Beef bones (knuckle or marrow)
2kg
Beef brisket
500g
Beef sirloin, raw
Thinly sliced for serving
300g
Star anise
4
Cinnamon sticks
2
Whole cloves
6
Coriander seeds
1 tbsp
Cardamom pods
3
Ginger
Halved and charred
3 inches
Onion
Halved and charred
2 large
Fish sauce
4 tbsp
Rock sugar
1 tbsp
Rice noodles (pho noodles)
400g
Bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime
to serve
🍽️ 4-hour commercial broth
→ Pressure cooker reduces to 1.5 hours
Pressure cooking extracts collagen faster
Blanch bones in boiling water 10 minutes, drain and rinse well.
💡 Pro Tip: Blanching removes impurities that make cloudy, bitter broth.
Char ginger and onion halves over open flame or under broiler until blackened.
💡 Pro Tip: Charring is the signature flavor of authentic pho — don't skip it.
Toast all spices in a dry pan until fragrant. Bundle in a cheesecloth bag.
💡 Pro Tip: Toasted spices in a bag — easy to remove without filtering the whole broth.
Simmer bones, brisket, charred aromatics, and spice bag in 4L water 3-4 hours. Skim regularly.
💡 Pro Tip: Skim every 20-30 minutes for a clear, clean broth. This is the labor of pho.
Strain broth, season with fish sauce and rock sugar. Serve over noodles with raw sirloin sliced paper-thin.
💡 Pro Tip: Hot broth cooks the raw sliced sirloin the moment it's poured. Slice paper-thin for this to work.
- ✓Charred ginger and onion are non-negotiable for authentic pho
- ✓Blanch bones first
- ✓Low simmer for clear broth — boiling makes it murky
- ✓Slice raw beef paper-thin — it cooks in the hot broth
- →With hoisin and Sriracha on the side
- →With fresh herbs, bean sprouts and lime
- →With a side of Vietnamese coffee