The Quest For a Great Broth
The quality of a bowl of pho depends on the broth. The noodles are really easy to make, and the beef is frequently added to the soup raw. The soup is served without any additional vegetable or herb toppings.
In short? No broth, no bacon.
I never really believed that making it at home on my own would be feasible. I’ll just have to chalk it up to my cynical but partially supported belief that no homemade broth could ever compare to the flavor of the restaurant-quality variety.
We nevertheless made the decision to give it a try, and the outcomes were fantastic. Additionally, I received all the tips from a Vietnamese friend/mom who makes this dish for her family on a regular basis—her kids are in college, but they always come home for her pho!
After some preparation to get the broth going, all that needs to be done is simmer the food for an extended period of time until it’s time to assemble it.
Though I may be biased in saying this, I firmly believe that the most underappreciated Vietnamese dish is bún bò Huế, or beef noodle of Huế city. The people of Huế, the former imperial capital of Vietnam and home to the royal court, are gorgeous, slow-moving, and much more polite than those of Hanoi and Saigon. This is partly because of the city’s greater emphasis on Buddhism. So it comes as a surprise that the city’s signature dish has such intense flavor, balancing salt and sweet with extremes of sour and spice.
Măng means bamboo and vịt means duck. Duck isn’t as popular in Vietnamese cooking as it is in some other Asian cuisines, but when combined with tangy bamboo shoots and savory fish sauce, the buttery richness of the whole duck—boiled for nearly an hour—tastes great. Serve it with a side of fresh lettuce, cabbage, and mint to finish it off.
This unusual, difficult-to-explain dish from the ancient trading port of Hoi An, Quang Nam Province, embodies the confluence of Vietnam’s natural resource abundance, ethnic diversity, and colonial past. Cao lầu is essentially just a simple dish made with noodles, pork, and herbs like mint and basil. However, the noodles have a springy, chewy texture that is similar to pasta ramen, unlike any other noodles you’ll find in Vietnam. The chewiness of the rice is a result of soaking it in a solution made with lye, which is made by leaching wood and ash, and water that is specifically taken from an old well that was constructed by the once-mighty Champa Hindu empire.
The red color of the broth is from a spicy chile oil that is added while it simmers and is made with beef shank and bones that have been generously simmered with sugar, lemongrass, and shrimp paste. Although the noodles are referred to as bún, they are thicker and rounder than normal, making them more manageable to skewer with chunks of meat such as marinated beef shank, oxtail, pig knuckles, and pig blood that has solidified into maroon cubes that resemble tofu. Vegetables such as lime wedges, scallions, cilantro, banana blossom, mint, basil, Vietnamese coriander, sawtooth herb, and mung bean sprouts are added to the bowl when it is served.
For us Vietnamese-American kids, the elder generation uses phở as a gateway drug, a way to draw us back into our culture even when we reject the language and become ashamed of our odorous Asian lunches. First, it’s served to us as a cold remedy when we’re sick, at special family get-togethers, or during weekend brunches. However, this is just the beginning of many steaming-hot noodle soups that bind us to our heritage.
4 Key Steps to Make Pho Broth
The four steps and techniques for creating a perfect beef pho broth are as follows:
- Pre-boiling the beef bones and meat
- Charring the ginger and onions
- Toasting the spices
- Adding fish sauce: My Vietnamese friend informed me that one of the keys to a delicious pho recipe is to use just enough fish sauce to adjust the broth’s salinity instead of salt. ).
She claimed that this method tastes the best, but most people don’t do it because fish sauce is so expensive. I know, it’s a lot of fish sauce!
Additionally, she proudly stated that Vietnamese fish sauce brands are far more flavorful than Thai brands, which are typically purchased for $9–$12 per bottle. Which is just food for thought.
Based on this insider knowledge, feel free to reduce the salt content and increase the amount of fish sauce in the broth. It really is up to your personal taste preferences, as we at The Woks of Life like to say!
Oh, and definitely buy a high quality fish sauce for this pho recipe. It will only make your broth better! We like Red Boat!
Put the beef chuck and bones in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and thoroughly clean the stockpot. This procedure will give you a much cleaner broth by eliminating any impurities or scum.
Meanwhile, char your ginger and onions. One at a time, hold the onions and ginger with tongs over an open flame or place them directly on a gas burner. (You can also do this on a grill. ).
Turn until they’re lightly blackened and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Rinse away all the blackened skins.
Refill the stockpot with five quarts of fresh water and bring it to a boil. Return the meat and bones to the pot with the cleaned and charred onions and ginger. Add the scallions, fish sauce and rock sugar. After the beef chuck is tender, reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 40 minutes. Skim the surface often to remove any foam and fat.
To halt the cooking process, remove one piece of the chuck and place it in a bowl of ice water. Next, move the beef chunk to a container and place it in the refrigerator. Later, you can slice it and serve it with pho. It would be too dry to eat if you left it in the pot. To add flavor to the broth, keep the remaining piece of chuck in the pot.
Now, for about three minutes over medium-low heat, toast the spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pod, if using), fennel seeds, and coriander seeds) in a dry pan until fragrant. Tie the spices in a cheesecloth with kitchen string and place it in the broth.
Cover the pot and continue simmering for another 4 hours. Add the salt and simmer until you’re ready to assemble the remaining ingredients, skimming occasionally. After tasting the broth, adjust the seasoning by adding more sugar, salt, or fish sauce if necessary.
To serve, boil the noodles according to package instructions. Add to a bowl. Arrange some slices of raw sirloin and beef chuck on top of the noodles. Ladle the broth into each bowl after bringing it to a rolling boil. The hot broth will cook the beef.
Add your toppings—sliced onion, chili, cilantro, scallions, bean sprouts, and Thai basil—and don’t forget to squeeze a generous amount of fresh lime juice over the top with your lime wedges! If you’d like, you can even add hoisin sauce and Sriracha!
To view the recipe card and the complete list of ingredients, scroll down.
If you’re pressed for time, try our 20-Minute Chicken Pho and Instant Pot Pho recipes!
Mmmm. Pho noodle pull!
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