Vietnamese Pho (Traditional or Vegan) at home
- Prep 15 minutes
- Cook 23 minutes
- Total 38 minutes
Vietnamese Pho (Traditional or Vegan) at home is a soup recipe on Avoteb. Plan on 38 minutes from start to plate. The amounts and the method are both on this page.
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion, peeled and halved
- 3- inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
- 5 star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- 3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks
- 2 cardamom pods
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds
- 8 cups good-quality beef stock (or chicken or vegetable stock)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- fine sea salt, to taste
- 8 ounces raw steak*, very thinly sliced
- 7 ounces uncooked thin rice noodles
Method
Whisk together beef broth, water, onion, garlic, star anise, cloves, ginger, cinnamon stick (and fish sauce, if using) in a large stockpot, and bring to a boil over a hot burner. Lid reduce heat to medium-low, and let let it bubble gently for at least 20 minutes.
While that cooks, cook the noodles according to package instructions. (If your package of noodles — like mine — did not have instructions, simply bring a large pot of water to a boil. Then cook the noodles until al dente, about 3 minutes.) Immediately pour off the noodles, and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Tip off and keep nearby.
When you are ready to serve the soup, fill the serving bowls about halfway full with noodles. Then cover with the hot broth, and immediately mix in the steak so that it cooks. Top with your desired garnishes.
(*Most people stir the cilantro, ginger, lime, jalapenos and Thai basil into the broth to give it extra flavoring, but you don’t necessarily need to actually eat those ingredients whole.)
