Vietnamese Pho: Rice Noodle and Beef Soup
By: Leah Rodrigues
Published: July 7, 2011

Pho (pronounced "fuh") is a fragrant Vietnamese noodle soup.  It is always served with a plate of condiments consisting of bean sprouts, mint, basil and lime.  You can also add chili sauce or hoisin sauce to make the broth sweeter or spicier.  To make this soup the traditional way, as this recipe does, it will take time.  The broth is the most important part of the soup and in Vietnam, they take the preparation of their national dish very seriously.  This recipe makes the broth from scratch using beef bones and oxtails.  If you spend the day tending to your broth, you will be rewarded with a rich liquid that just doesn't compare to the canned stuff.  Make extra broth and freeze it.  That way when you get a craving for pho, the hardest part is already done and you can eat it right away.
Vietnamese Pho
Ingredients:
5 pounds Beef bones with marrow
5 pounds Oxtails
1 pound Flank steak
2 large Onions, unpeeled, halved, and studded with 8 cloves
3 Shallots, unpeeled
2 ounces Piece ginger, unpeeled
8 Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
4 medium daikon cut in 2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon sugar
1 pound Beef sirloin
2 Scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Cilantro, chopped
2 medium Onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon Hot chili sauce
1 pound Rice noodles ¼-inch wide (or banh pho)
1 Tablespoon Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce)
Black pepper and salt to taste
2 cups Fresh bean sprouts
2 Fresh chili peppers, sliced
2 Limes cut in wedges
1 bunch Fresh mint
1 bunch Thai basil or regular basil
 
For full recipe instructions, click below
 Vietnamese Pho