1
StepCover the bones and brisket with cold water in a large pot, bring to a rolling boil and let them boil hard for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse each bone under running water to remove all the grey scum, and scrub the pot clean.
Soups
Pho Bo Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
A clear beef broth built on parboiled bones, charred onion and ginger, and spices toasted just to the point of fragrance. Four hours of bare simmering give it depth without cloudiness. Ladled boiling hot over rice noodles and raw sliced beef, with herbs, sprouts and lime added at the table.
270 min
Prep: 30 / Cook: 240
4
servings
Hard
Difficulty
4.7
9 Ratings
Ingredients
For the broth
- 1,5 kg beef marrow bone
- 500 g beef brisket
- 2 pieces onion
- 80 g ginger
- 4 pieces star anise
- 1 piece cinnamon stick
- 4 pieces clove
- 1 tsp coriander seed
- 1 piece black cardamom
- 40 g rock sugar
- 60 ml fish sauce
- 0 salt
To assemble
- 400 g dried flat rice noodle
- 250 g beef eye of round
- 3 pieces spring onion
To serve
- 200 g bean sprout
- 1 bunch thai basil
- 2 pieces lime
- 2 pieces red chilli
Preparation
8 Steps
2
StepHalve the unpeeled onions and the ginger and char the cut sides directly over a gas flame or under a hot grill for 5 to 8 minutes, until blackened in patches and smelling sweet. Rub off the loose burnt skin.
3
StepToast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seed and black cardamom in a dry pan over medium heat for 30 to 45 seconds, only until they smell fragrant. Any longer and the broth turns bitter. Tie them in a piece of muslin.
4
StepReturn the bones and brisket to the clean pot, add 5 litres of cold water, the charred onion and ginger and the spice bag. Bring slowly to a bare simmer, with the surface barely trembling, and skim whatever rises. Never let it boil.
5
StepSimmer uncovered for 4 hours, topping up with hot water to keep the bones submerged. Pull the brisket out after about 90 minutes, when a skewer slides in easily, and cool it in cold water before slicing.
6
StepStrain the broth through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Season with the rock sugar, fish sauce and salt until it tastes clean, beefy and lightly sweet. Skim off the surface fat if you want it lean.
7
StepSoak or cook the rice noodles according to the packet until just tender, then divide them between deep bowls. Slice the eye of round as thinly as you can against the grain, and slice the cooked brisket.
8
StepLay the raw beef and brisket over the noodles, scatter with sliced spring onion, and ladle the broth over at a full boil so the raw slices cook in the bowl. Serve with sprouts, Thai basil, lime and chilli on the side.
Chef's Tip
Parboil the bones for 10 minutes and rinse them well before the real simmer; that single step is the difference between clear broth and grey scum. The broth freezes perfectly in portions, so make the full batch even if you are cooking for two.
Comments (5)
froze the broth in portions, best thing in my freezer right now
toasted the spices too long the first time and it went bitter. thirty seconds really is enough
any reason not to do the broth in a pressure cooker on a work night?
ninety minutes at pressure works, let it come down naturally and skim well. the flavour is a little flatter but it is still good.
four hours but almost no actual work. the charred onion smell alone is worth it
parboiling the bones is the step people skip, then they wonder why the broth is grey