Vietnamese · Lunch · Dinner
Beef Pho
Phở Bò
A fragrant, clear broth scented with charred onion, ginger, star anise and cinnamon, poured over silky rice noodles and tender slices of lean beef. Finished at the table with fresh herbs, crunchy bean sprouts and a squeeze of lime.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 59% · Fat 11% · Protein 30%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 3 cups710 gLow-sodium beef broth
- 5 cups1,200 gWater
- 1 large150 gYellow onion, halved
- 5 cm piece40 gFresh ginger, halved lengthwise
- 4 podsStar anise
- 1 stickCinnamon stick
- 4Whole cloves
- 1 tspCoriander seeds
- 1 tbsp18 gFish sauce
- 1 tspSugar
- 200 g packDried flat rice noodles
- 340 g (3/4 lb)Lean beef sirloin, trimmed
- 2 cups200 gBean sprouts
- 1 cup loosely packed20 gThai basil leaves
- 1/2 cup8 gFresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 345 gGreen onions, thinly sliced
- 167 gLime, cut into wedges
- 15 gRed bird's eye chili, sliced (optional)
- 1 tsp6 gSriracha (optional)
Steps
- 1
Wrap the beef and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes so it firms up for slicing.
- 2
Char the onion halves and ginger cut-side down in a dry heavy pan over medium-high heat for 8–10 minutes, until well blackened in spots.
- 3
In a large pot over medium heat, toast the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves and coriander seeds for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- 4
Add the broth, water, charred onion and ginger to the pot and bring to a boil.
- 5
Reduce the heat and simmer gently, partly covered, for 30 minutes.
- 6
Meanwhile, slice the chilled beef against the grain as thinly as possible.
- 7
Soak or cook the rice noodles according to the package directions, then drain, rinse briefly and divide among 4 bowls.
- 8
Arrange the bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, lime wedges and chili (if using) on a platter.
- 9
Strain the broth, discard the solids, and stir in the fish sauce and sugar; taste, and brighten with lime rather than more salt if needed.
- 10
Return the broth to a rolling boil.
- 11
Lay the raw beef slices over the noodles and ladle the boiling broth on top so the beef cooks through; if you prefer it well done, dip the slices in the simmering broth for 30–60 seconds first.
- 12
Scatter green onions over each bowl and serve with the herb platter and sriracha (if using) for adding at the table.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use thinly sliced chicken breast poached in the broth for 3–4 minutes instead of beef sirloin for a chicken pho.
- Replace the beef broth with vegetable broth, the beef with pan-fried tofu and the fish sauce with soy sauce for a vegetarian version; for vegan, also choose a vegan sriracha.
- For gluten-free bowls, choose beef broth, fish sauce and sriracha labelled gluten-free, since the rice noodles and other ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
- If you can't find Thai basil, use regular basil with a few mint leaves.
Storage
Refrigerate the strained broth, noodles, beef and herbs in separate containers within 2 hours and use within 3 to 4 days, bringing the broth to a boil before serving. The broth freezes well for up to 3 months, but don't freeze the noodles or fresh herbs, and keep the beef out of the broth so it doesn't overcook.
Make ahead
Make and strain the broth up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate it, or freeze it for longer. You can also slice the beef a day ahead and keep it covered in the fridge, then cook the noodles and prep the herbs just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: FishCelerySulphites
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (752 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 375 kcal | 50 kcal |
| Protein | 28.3 g | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 55.6 g | 7.4 g |
| of which sugars | 6.6 g | 0.9 g |
| Fiber | 4.2 g | 0.6 g |
| Fat | 4.4 g | 0.6 g |
| of which saturated | 1.5 g | 0.2 g |
| Sodium | 865 mg | 115 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
