Homemade Pho
There is something really comforting about a bowl of hot pho and now you can easily make this delicious Vietnamese noodle soup right at home.
INGREDIENTS
For the Soup
1 Large Onion (White or Yellow), peeled and halved
1 Large Ginger Stalk, sliced lengthwise
8 Cups Beef Stock*
4 Star Anise
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds
3 Cardamon Pods
5 Whole Cloves
1 Tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar
Salt to taste based on how salty your broth is
12 oz. Sirloin Steak, thinly sliced
8 oz Rice Noodles
Salt and Pepper
For the Toppings
Lime, cut into wedges
Green Onions, sliced on the bias
Bean Spouts
Jalapeño, thinly sliced
Fresh Cilantro, leafs separated from the stems
Fresh Mint, leafs separated from the stems
Fresh Basil, leafs separated from the stems
Chili Sauce
Hosin Sauce
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450℉
Brush onion and ginger with olive oil, place onto a baking sheet, and bake 12-15 minutes until the onion and ginger is slightly charred. Remove and set aside.
In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté star anise, cinnamon, coriander seeds, cardamon, and cloves until fragrant. Don’t not burn the spices. Remove from heat and set aside.
In a large stock pot, over medium-high heat, combine the beef stock, onion, ginger, and spices. Once soup reaches a low boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover with a lid and let simmer for at least 1 hour.
Strain the soup to remove the onion, ginger, and spices.
Stir in fish sauce and brown sugar. Adjust with salt if needed.
During the last 30-45 minutes of cooking the soup, rehydrate your noodles according to the package directions, the ones i use call for the noodles to be placed in a large bowl with hot water for 45 minutes. They remain al dente and will cook to perfection when the hot soup is added.
While your noodles are cooking/rehydrating, prepare you optional soup toppings as noted in the Ingredients list.
Thinly slice the steak, if you can buy thin sliced beef or have your butcher do it that is best, otherwise freeze your steak for 30 minutes and then thinly slice using a very sharp knife. Lay sliced steak out on a large plate and lightly season one side with salt and pepper.
Now comes the fun, and delicious part. Assemble the soup in individual bowls by placing noodles in the bottom of the bowl and topping with 2-3 slices of raw steak (the beef will cook when you pour the hot soup over top of it).
Set out toppings on a plate, or individual plates, so that each person can combine the toppings to their liking. Let the toppings and beef cook for 2-3 minutes before enjoying as this will give the steak time to fully cook and for the optional toppings to completely flavor the soup broth.
This made enough for 4 large servings and i had enough left overs for 2 additional servings to have the next day (it was even better the next day!)
* You want a really high quality stock as this is the foundation of your soup. If you start with a low grade, high sodium stock the pho will not turn out well. I use all beef but you can experiment with combinations of beef and other stocks like roasted vegetable or mushroom. I’m a fan of Pacific Foods Organic Stocks if you can find them in your local market. 1 box (32 Fl. Oz.) will equal about 4 cups of stock.