Beef pho, or pho bo, is the most popular pho in the West. You can find it in every Vietnamese restaurant. If you are a fan of pho, you have probably noticed how the taste and quality varies from place to place. What makes or breaks pho is the broth. It takes time and quality ingredients to prepare. Authentic pho broth will captivate you with its aroma and the taste that seamlessly combines salty, sweet, and umami all in one. Pho requires a methodical and complex preparation, but all that can be easily done at home and its so worth it. Once you try it once you will be making it over and over again. When I make pho the aroma of beef, cinnamon, star anise, ginger, roasted garlic and onion fill the entire house, making everyone extremely hungry. The aroma is mind blowing. This recipe makes a full-bodied broth with a rich, multilayered flavor and taste. The broth has a dark amber color but clear. The longer it simmers, the more intensely flavored it becomes. The broth will taste very good after a couple of hours, but if you let it simmer for 10-12 hours, you will be blown away by the rich taste. This will make the ultimate pho bo. It will be so delicious that you will be thinking of making more the next day. I like making beef pho on weekends, starting early in the morning and allowing it to cook for about 9-10 hours. This way it will be ready just in time for dinner. Since I cook on the stove top, I like to be around to check on pho every now and again, so no overnight cooks. I would be more comfortable with overnight cooks if using a slow cooker.
Beef pho assembly steps
Assembly of the pho bo starts with placing mounds of slipper rice noodles in a bowl, followed by paper-thin slices of raw beef eye round. Personally, I’ll take ramen over rice noodles any time, and that’s what I use in my pho. That’s the beauty of homemade pho bo – you can completely customize it to your taste and come up with a masterpiece.
The next step is to pour boiling hot broth over the noodles and the meat. The hot broth will cook the raw thinly sliced meat to perfection – deliciously flavored and tender. Just make sure to cover the meat with the broth. Note that if you follow the recipe below, the picture above should also have bits of meat from the bones and thinly sliced onions and scallions arranged over the raw beef slices before pouring the broth. Things happen when trying cook, style, and take pictures at the same time.
To enhance the finished dish, well-done flank, brisket, tendon, or tripe are sometimes added as well. The more meat the better, right? Finish the dish by garnishing it with bean sprouts, greens and squeezing some lime juice over it.
If you like your pho spicy add some sriracha on the side. Traditionally, hot sauces are served on the side so as not to spoil the taste of the broth. Just dip a slice of meat into the sauce and eat it, followed by spoonfuls of delicious pho. The recipe is originally from the Little Saigon Cookbook. This post was updated on December 27, 2018
