Saturday, February 9, 2008

Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup

By SteamyKitchen / 312 comments »

What the Pho?!

I’ve been working hard perfecting the techniques and recipe for Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup, or Pho, just for you. It’s taken years of kitchen experiments, eating out and scouring for good recipes. Of all the cookbooks that I own, the best recipe that I’ve found for Pho is from:

Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, which is one of the most comprehensive books on the cuisine of Vietnam. The book also won nominations for a James Beard Foundation award and two International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP). Definitely a must-have book for Asian food lovers.

So, let’s get right to the Vietnamese Beef Pho Recipe!

The dish is pronounced “fuh” and not “foo” or “foe” or “puh”

Yeah, Pho is cheap eat out…but to be able to make a home made version? Pretty Pho-king amazing, if you ask me.

Pho Spices

It’s best if you can get each spice separately, but I do find that the spice packets are pretty convenient. They cost less than $2.00 and even come with a mesh bag to put all the spices in. Spices include cinnamon sticks, cloves, coriander pods, star anise and cardamom. Whatever you do, don’t use the Pho spice paste that comes in a jar or can. Nasty stuff, that’s Pho-sho’.

Best Bones for Pho

Leg and knuckle bones are the best to make the stock. See that wonderful yellow marrow below in the photo? That’s pure flavoring that makes your Pho taste full, meaty and rich. But let’s say that you can’t find leg/knuckle bones. Go ahead and use whatever beef bones your supermarket has and just supplement with some oxtail bones or a pound of beef meat (rump, chuck, brisket, etc.) for extra flavor.

Bones are parboiled first for a good 10 minutes in rapidly boiling water – this gets rid of the yucky impurities like blood particles and extra fat. You’ll see gray foam float up to the surface as you boil. After 10 minutes, dump out all of the water, rinse out your pot, rinse the bones, and refill with clean, cool water. I know it’s an extra step, but this will give you the pure, clean-tasting broth.

This is just after blanching – the golden gelatinous goodness is where all the flavor and body is.

UPDATE 4/11/2010 I started getting comments of the broth being too greasy — and after 8 pots of testing, I found out why. When I normally make pho broth, I use a combination of knuckle and leg bones, normally with 20% of the bones having the marrow (below photo). When I started increasing the % of bones with marrow – the broth started getting too fatty. I guess too much of a good stuff is not a good thing! The fattiness is easy to remedy. Refrigerate overnight and just discard the layer of fat that accumulates on top. For best results though, keep the bones with marrow to 20%.

Charring Onions and Ginger

Charring or roasting the onions and ginger gives you a wonderfully mellow and naturally sweet flavor. I used to char over an open flame on my stovetop with a pair of tongs, but that got pretty tiring. Plus, metal tongs + long time over flame = very hothothot hands. So now, I just raise my oven rack to the highest position and turn my broiler on. See how golden the ginger gets?

Damn Scumbag!

So here is my broth boilin’ away with the mesh bag of spices, charred ginger, charred onions and beef bones. You can see floating bits of fat and the damn scumbag.

Fat & marrow bits = good eats. Try to keep that in the broth!

But gotta get rid of the scum! I use a very, very fine mesh strainer designed just for scum. heh. A scumbag strainer. Can you imagine if I had a line of cookware and tools – “Steamy Kitchen Scumbag Strainer.” Straining the scum keeps your broth pure and clean. The lower the simmer, the less scum you have.

A note on broth simmering time – I simmer the broth for 3 hours. According to both Andrea Nguyen and Corinne Trang (author of Authentic Vietnamese Cooking and former editor and director of Saveur’s test kitchen) – all of the flavors in the bone have been extracted after 3 hours.

Thin Sliced Meat

You can use a thinly sliced flank steak, london broil, sirloin, eye of round or tri-tip. Instead of beef slices, you could use beef balls (Bo Vien) found in the freezer section of your Asian market. The secret to cutting meat is to cut across the grain. You want your beef slices as thin as possible, and I always throw the whole chunk of meat in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice thinly.

Pho Noodles

Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup typically uses rice noodles. You can buy them dried or fresh. I love the slippery softness of fresh noodles (look in the refrigerator or freezer section) Most restaurants will use dried, flat rice noodles. Look for ones that are medium thickness and flat like these.

Pho-tastic Condiments

On the tables of every Pho restaurant, you’ll see these two condiments, Cock Sauce (Sriracha hot chili sauce) and Hoisin Sauce. You can squirt and slather as much of these two condiments as you want…but I’m a purist.If I’m going to spend a couple of hours carefully crafting a rich, flavor-packed, clean soup – I better taste every damn drop. Condiment sauces just get in the way.   Sometimes, I’ll squirt a bit of each sauce in a little dish and dip my meat in the sauce as I take a bite. You ask….why do we call it Cock sauce? See that rooster on the bottle?

Pho Vegetables and Herbs

Fresh mint, cilantro, basil, bean sprouts, limees, sliced chili peppers are just some of my favorite accompaniments. Set a plate at the table and your guests can pick and choose what they like.

Great Pho-tograph of fresh vegetables and herbs

Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup Recipe

Pho-Shizzle, My Bowl-o Noozle!!

Adapted from my favorite Vietnamese cookbook: Into the Vietnamese Kitchen
serves 8

Sometimes, I omit the 1lb of beef meat in the broth (you’ll see I’ve made it optional) – as I’ve found that as long as I have good bones, the broth will have enough flavor to not need the extra beef meat.

THE BROTH
2 onions, halved
4″ nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat – chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) – or 1oz of regular sugar

THE BOWLS
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha hot sauce

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you’ll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning – this is a crucial step. If the broth’s flavor doesn’t quite shine yet, add 2 teaspoons more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or 1 teaspoon of regular sugar). Keep doing this until the broth tastes perfect.

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible – try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will “assemble” their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles – there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that’s needed. The package that I purchased (above) – needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

***

Crock Pot/Slow Cooker Pho Recipe

Don’t have time to man a stove? Use your crock pot or slow cooker!

Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) Recipe

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

***

Pho-Lovers Pho-Ever

Guilty Carnivore

Eat Drink & Be Merry

Viet World Kitchen

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Categories: Gluten Free Adaptable, Healthy Recipes, My Favorite Recipes, Recipes, Rice/Noodles, Seafood/Meats, Soups/Salads

Ingredients: basil, bean sprouts, Beef, beef bones, cardamom, chili pepper, cilantro, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, eye of round, fennel seed, fish sauce, flank, ginger, hoisin, lime, london broil, mint, noodles, onion, pasta, pho, rice, rock sugar, sirloin, sriracha, star anise

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312 Responses to “Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup”

1. 1
   

   JEP — 2/9/08 @ 5:01 pm

   The Pho step-by-step is a work of art, Jaden! You are amazing:)

2. 2
   

   Ricky — 2/9/08 @ 5:22 pm

   I thought that pho broth was supposed to simmer for more time (maybe 6 hours). Is it not always the case?

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   SteamyKitchen — 2/9/08 @ 5:36 pm

   Hey Ricky,

   According to both Andrea Nguyen and Corinne Trang (author of Authentic Vietnamese Cooking and former editor and director of Saveur’s test kitchen) – 3 hours is sufficient. All of the flavors have been extracted after 3 hours.

   Jaden

4. 4
   

   Kitt — 2/9/08 @ 5:40 pm

   Crrrraaaaaazy! I’ve had people ask me when I’m going to make this, because I am a big fan of pho. But there are such wonderful pho places here in Denver that have the benefit of economy of scale.

   I’ll order a medium bowl to go for $5, which includes a huge container of broth and another container full of bean sprouts, the meat, basil, sawtooth herb, limes, jalapenos and two kinds of sauce. That’s enough for two dinners! To make the same at home would cost me way more, both in ingredients and time.

   Hats off to you! That looks sooo delicious. I think I’ll go get me some.

   (Love the captioning, too.)

5. 5
   

   Elyse — 2/9/08 @ 5:57 pm

   Jaden – Skimming the scum off of stock ranks pretty highly on my list of ‘least favorite activities.’ However, this pho looks delicious enough that I may have to compromise my principles – and beg my butcher for some bones!

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   cindy — 2/9/08 @ 8:12 pm

   yay! i was just looking for a good recipe for this! my daughter has become totally addicted to this, and she is ‘dragging’ me with her! (i admit, i go willingly!) i told her it looks pretty easy to make, but she insists it is so cheap, why bother? (she is not a cook, so she doesn’t get that part!)

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   joanne — 2/9/08 @ 8:15 pm

   Thank you! I really needed some visuals on making good pho broth. I just picked up a bag of star anise, but I didn’t run across bags of pho seasoning. I plan on making this broth Monday. I love a good pho. I have to drive an hour to the Korean market to get the ingredients, but it’s better than driving an hour to get pho and bring it back home. How well does the broth freeze? I was thinking of making a big batch and freezing the soup in quart bags. Instance late night snack!

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   Tom — 2/9/08 @ 8:18 pm

   In addition to the sauces you mentioned, our local Pho place also has a less spicy red chili sauce of some kind in an unlabeled little glass jar. We go there every week for their fried rice, which is awesome… and we haven’t been able to find anything like that sauce at the grocery store. Any ideas what it might be? We can’t get enough of it when we’re there… just the right level of flavor/spiciness!

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   wite on rice couple — 2/9/08 @ 10:08 pm

   Kudos on the book by Andrea ! Her book really is the best bet if you were only to have one Vietnamese cookbook. Good job and you cut the lime wedges correctly too!
   We usually simmer our Pho for about 3-4 hours too. But we also let the bones sit in the broth overnight too to further finish it off to complete the flavor.

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    Chris — 2/10/08 @ 12:39 am

    That’s one of my fave things to make!I’ve used beef ribs which are available in most grocery stores. They make good eating too. I like making it in the winter as I can leave the whole pot outside on the deck and skim off the congealed fat. In answer to Joanne, this soup keeps very well in the freezer. Here in the great white north, I leave mine outside for few days or till we finish it. Great comfort food!

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    phyllis — 2/10/08 @ 2:38 am

    *drool*

    i love pho. i keep meaning to learn how to make some…a couple of summers ago i tried to embark on a Great Asian Cooking Experiment (aka learn how to make at least a few solid dishes from each asian country). i made summer rolls and promptly got lazy and gave up =P. you have re-energized my need to expand my repertoire of asian cuisine — or at least viet!

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    Pepy — 2/10/08 @ 2:50 am

    love to suck that yellow morrow
    Yummy

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    StickyGooeyCreamyChewy — 2/10/08 @ 3:01 am

    Wonderful post, Jaden. A refreshing change from all of the chocolate (which I am currently up to my armpits in!). I love Pho, but as you know, there are very few restaurants that serve it around here. I will definitely have to set aside some time to try this.

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    Happy Cook — 2/10/08 @ 5:06 am

    It is funny i just saw today morning in a travel show this same soup and the presenter was saying how delicious it was and they have it for breakfast.
    I have never been a vietnameese food fan except for the spring rolls.
    This soup i would like to try .

15. 15
    

    Bkhuna — 2/10/08 @ 6:58 am

    Jaden, you rock! I want to have your children (or your leftovers).

    Thanks for the great post on one of my absolute favorites. By the way, your photography is improving tremendously. Keep up the good work.

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    argus — 2/10/08 @ 7:16 am

    Phoa! It looks pho good!

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    Anh — 2/10/08 @ 7:47 am

    Head off to you jaden! Not all Vietnamese have the heart to try pho at home (i think we treasure our little pho shops a bit too much).

    Having said that, I don’t think the noodles u r using is right… It should be thinner and fatter in shape. Of course this is me being very picky

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    Melinda — 2/10/08 @ 7:57 am

    I have never made this or have tasted it before. It sounds delicious pho sure. Thank you for the step by step instructions as I really like that. It’s like you are there with me in the kitchen.
    (how fun that would be!) I think you have gone to a lot of trouble to do this excellent post. Much appreciated. x

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    Mal Carne — 2/10/08 @ 8:48 am

    A lazy person’s tip on making the stock: Bring the stock up to a simmer on the stovetop, cover, and then place into a 250 degree oven. This will keep your stock at a simmer (boiling will emulsify the impurities and fat into the stock, making it cloudy and not so rich) without having to constantly adjust the heat under the pot.

    You’ll still have to skim the scum frequently.

    I’d argue that longer than 3 hours makes a better stock, but we’re making soup, not demi glace, so 3 hours should do the job.

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    Tracey — 2/10/08 @ 9:16 am

    Good lord. I wanted to lick the screen…

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    The Urban Eater — 2/10/08 @ 12:12 pm

    You kill me Jaden! I peed a little reading this.
    Mmmmmmmmmmmm pppphhhhooooooooooooooooo…………………

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    LunaPierCook — 2/10/08 @ 12:27 pm

    “Can you imagine if I had a line of cookware and tools …” Gee, where would you have gotten such an idea?

    Great pics once again. The new studio’s working well!

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    Lydia — 2/10/08 @ 1:58 pm

    Wonderful post! I love pho, but I often make a quick version of the broth using store-bought and homemade beef and chicken broth combined. Now I really have to try this version — it looks so good!

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    mycookinghut — 2/10/08 @ 4:00 pm

    Beef looks so delicious…. with the noodles and all the herbs… are just too perfect for a meal!

25. 25
    

    Psychgrad — 2/10/08 @ 5:36 pm

    Excellent post! I think I’ll have to work my way up to this recipe. But it looks great!

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    wite on rice couple — 2/10/08 @ 7:11 pm

    Response to Anh – Not sure if there really is a “right” noodle. As long as it’s a flat rice noodle, every family or region has it’s own personal, noodle style preference. IMHO- it’s all about having a good, rich broth. With that you can serve it to me with almost any type of Pho noodle, I’ll eat it!
    I’m gonna go ahead and say this and ready to take the beatings: I’ve had left over Pho broth, but no more pho noodles. So I’ve eaten my Pho with…ramen noodles! Yes, I’ve broken all Pho laws here and my ancestors are about to jump off the family altar and slap me silly, but it’s even more sacrilege to let good broth go to waste! I don’t call this Pho any more, but rather, Nemarohp (phoramen spelled backwards).

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    Charlotte — 2/10/08 @ 8:49 pm

    This looks wonderful! I don’t suppose you have a really good chicken version of this?!

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    SteamyKitchen — 2/10/08 @ 9:07 pm

    Charlotte – absolutely I do:
    http://steamykitchen.com/blog/2007/07/14/vietnamese-chicken-noodle-soup-pho-ga/

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    Jennifer — 2/10/08 @ 9:52 pm

    I am SO excited to see this recipe! I’ve been in love with pho for years, despite moves to several cities and states, and have finally reached a point where I can no longer find truly good pho…. but now I can make my own! Thank you so much for spelling it all out for me!

30. 30
    

    Rachel — 2/10/08 @ 11:25 pm

    I am so glad to know what this dish is finally called. We have a restaurant here and there are only pictures and the Vietnamese symbols. I just sort of “point” to the beef soup picture.

    I’m totally trying this!

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    AppetiteforChina — 2/11/08 @ 1:04 am

    Mmm…awesome photo tutorial! I love flank steak in pho. Brisket and tripe pho is also delicious, even though many people might turn up their nose at it.

32. 32
    

    Lynn — 2/11/08 @ 1:37 am

    Great pictures and captions. You make it look easy, but I think I’d rather got out and buy some. Good to know how it’s pronounced so I don’t sound like a dork when I order it!

33. 33
    

    Precious Pea — 2/11/08 @ 3:13 am

    I have always wanted to make my own Pho and recently I bought a book on Viet cuisine. Once i saw the recipe, I changed my mind. Looking at yours now seems like it’s not too difficult after all. Let me give it a try one weekend.

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    Bellini Valli — 2/11/08 @ 9:04 am

    Thanks for all the directional photos Jaden. This soup is Pho#$@%& fantastic

35. 35
    

    Jessica — 2/11/08 @ 9:44 am

    I’m pretty sure Pho is the best stuff ever!
    I love going out to eat it. They bring you bowls larger than a basketball filled with yummy goodness.
    Thanks for the instructions and pictures!

36. 36
    

    Maya — 2/11/08 @ 10:27 am

    Fabulous Jaden

    I would love to try some pho but I do not eat beef. Do you think chicken would work here? The flavour would be tottally different of course…

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    Food Rockz Man — 2/11/08 @ 11:18 am

    Jaden,

    Your appreciation for bone marrow rockz! Roasting and eating marrow straight is one of my recent obsessions. Lately I’ve been missing the abundance of pho I used to enjoy in SoCal . . . DC proper is severely lacking in good pho. Rumor has it there’s some good pho to be found in the suburbs of DC in Northern Virginia . . . but I don’t have a car and am generally not a fan of weekend trips into the burbs. So I’m gonna put your delicious looking and sounding recipe to use. Thanks!

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    veron — 2/11/08 @ 12:16 pm

    What I would give for a bowl of pho right now. Love it for breakfast!

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    L.K. — 2/11/08 @ 12:39 pm

    Jayden: I noticed the yellow peel or onion “skins” along with the onion in the broth. Never have done this in all my years of soup making. Does the outer skin enhance the flavor or merely color the broth? Also, I often quick roast the bones before I start the broth, seems to add more depth of flavor to the stock (as does charring onions, etc.). Have you ever seen the “marrow spoons” from probably the 1800′s, when eating the marrow as a meal course was a big event? In soup, yes — but off a spoon, I don’t think so. Anyway, thanks again for a wonderful recipe. It’s so hard to wait days between your posts! I check at least twice a day to see if there is something new from you. Wish there was a new post EVERY day. You ARE the best!!!! Happy trails once again……..

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    Food Rockz Man — 2/11/08 @ 12:47 pm

    L.K.–what do you mean the 1800s???? Eating marrow as a meal course is still a big event! Check out my blog post from today. I just bought the cool spoon this weekend. I don’t think it was made specifically for marrow, but it worked very well. Cheers.

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    SteamyKitchen — 2/11/08 @ 12:47 pm

    awww thank you LK!

    You can skin the onions if you want, but every time I’ve seen Pho made, it’s with the skin on. Several of my Vietnamese cookbooks just say to leave the skin on.

    xo, jaden

42. 42
    

    Jaded — 2/11/08 @ 1:25 pm

    Pho Shizzle Mah Nizzle!! That stuff looks fan-pho-king-tastic!

    I’ve always shyed away from making pho because of the labor intensity and because I’ve always heard it being so time consuming. Yipes! I may, in fact, need to give it a try before the cold weather goes away.

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    Wandering Chopsticks — 2/11/08 @ 4:19 pm

    Man, I’m so susceptible to food suggestions. I had pho last night because of this.

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    Heather — 2/11/08 @ 4:31 pm

    Oh man, I made the same pho jokes in my pho post last month! I guess those goofy jokes never get old.

    http://voodoolily.blogspot.com/2008/01/what-ph.html

    You totally pwned me with your photography.

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    sp — 2/11/08 @ 4:47 pm

    Wonderful step by step instructions, Jaden. I’m going to make this in a couple of day. It looks so delicious!

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    dwiana — 2/11/08 @ 5:44 pm

    I eat this noodle at the Vietnamese restaurant here. Oh may, I just love it so much! thanks for sharing the recipe.

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    Kevin — 2/11/08 @ 7:22 pm

    The Pho sounds really good and tasty. Bookmarked. Great photos!

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    nikkipolani — 2/11/08 @ 7:57 pm

    Your modifications are great, Jaden. I think this is a keeper!

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    tigerfish — 2/11/08 @ 10:59 pm

    Pho, pho! I want a bowl now in this cold windy weather!
    Happy Lunar New Year – it’s the 5th day today.

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    kate — 2/12/08 @ 7:34 am

    really helpful step by step guide for someone like me whos never tried making it before. Very very helpful post Jaden. The Pho looks incredibly delicious.

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    joey — 2/12/08 @ 9:35 am

    Great step by step instructions! My husband and I are big fans of pho We are going to Hanoi in April and are so excited to finally be able to try pho in Vietnam!

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    FlaNBoyant — 2/12/08 @ 12:17 pm

    I wanna jump through my 15″ screen and slurp that bowl!!!! no spoon needed!!

    Okay for real… maybe some chopstix… looks great fo’ shizzle… lol

    B-

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    Miss T — 2/12/08 @ 12:23 pm

    Beautiful! I love Pho, but I haven’t tried making it.

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    Mike — 2/12/08 @ 12:34 pm

    I’ve never had pho before but it looks awesome. Not to mention the obvious fun in finding ways to use “pho” in a sentence.

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    katy — 2/12/08 @ 3:20 pm

    this looks awesome, and i am FREEZING in the middle of a NY snowstorm right now. i think a warm thai soup would be just perfect. oh, and now i need a scum strainer.

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    Nate 2.0 — 2/12/08 @ 4:24 pm

    Jaden,

    Pho-king awesome post. We don’t make pho at home because, here in San Jose, the competition between all the Vietnamese restaurants keeps the prices low and the quality high.

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    Julie — 2/12/08 @ 4:46 pm

    I just made this amazingly easy and delicious pot of pho… but now Im wondering how to store it and how long it will last.

    Any ideas?!

    Thanks!!!!

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    SteamyKitchen — 2/12/08 @ 5:06 pm

    Hi Julie, Just freeze the stock. You can store in refrig for 3 days or freeze for 3 months.

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    robin — 2/12/08 @ 8:12 pm

    Haha! Wonderful post! It was great fun to read and now you’ve saved me from looking like an idiot if I ever need to say Pho *NOT FOE* in front of people!

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    joanne — 2/12/08 @ 11:14 pm

    I’m reporting back after having made my first pho broth. It was fantastic! I did add more fish sauce after the long simmer, I like it a little more pungent! I have 3 quart bags in the freezer, and I realize I need a bigger pot if I want to make a larger batch. I had gone to my far away Korean market and bought frozen pre-sliced ribeye, and brisket there. Lovely stuff, just fantastic. Since I didn’t find the pre assembled mesh bags of pho seasoning, I used tea bags. I’m not sure what it says in Japanese, but they are poly fiber bags. I still stuck the bag inside a big straining ball, since the tea bag does not close up tightly. I was able to find marrow bones sliced in 2 inch lengths at Publix, so that was great! I did not get as much scum as Jaden did. Hmmm I wonder why. The broth came out a lovely carmel color, with little globs of fat floating on top. I don’t know if that’s to be expected, but it was lovely. What do I do with the leftover bits of marrow that slipped out of the bone? I threw that away along with the bones. I think the rock candy gives the broth a better flavor than regular granulated sugar. Did I get it right?

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    Kim — 2/12/08 @ 11:28 pm

    http://cookieloveseating.blogspot.com/2008/01/pho-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup.html

    I did pho a few weeks back too. it was awesome! lots of similarities with your recipe.
    MMMMMMM pho = food of the earth gods

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    SteamyKitchen — 2/12/08 @ 11:42 pm

    Wonderful Joanne!

    Secretly, one of my fav parts of making pho broth is eating the marrow! I usually just spoon it out, dab a little hot sauce on it and I’m in heaven….

    xo, jaden

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    Albert — 2/13/08 @ 1:45 am

    Great pictures, Jaden. I purchased this cookbook a few months ago but haven’t had a chance to make anything from it yet.

    I picked up a “Scum Strainer” in my travels least year. Here’s some pictures of what it looks like. I can’t read Japanese, so maybe you’ll be able to source it elsewhere.

    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2111/2261608803_e2f9321e59.jpg
    http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2277/2261608809_47186d337d.jpg

    BTW, how’s that XO sauce recipe coming?

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    wmw — 2/13/08 @ 5:14 am

    Gong Xi Fa Chai to you…I absolutely love Pho! I miss Vietnamese food from San Francisco. I want a bowl of your bad ass Pho! Hahaha…that somehow came out wrong. :p

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    DurianDurian — 2/13/08 @ 3:20 pm

    That is one of my very favorite cookbooks. It’s so delightfully personal.

    I have been eating pho for lunch a few times a week since its so cold out. Now I just might make some at home.

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    dhanes — 2/13/08 @ 8:32 pm

    Hey Jaden

    Wonderful pics, and I just happened to have Pho Rau Cai and Muc Chien today at Trang Viet. If you want a break from stinking up your kitchen, drive up to Tampa on Fowler and try them. They are a French Vietnamese place, so the Pho is a little lighter. My other favourite place for Pho and green Papaya salad is Mekong, in St. Pete on 34th st just north of 62nd ave. Have known the owner’s daughters for years and they are always jampacked with the local little Saigon regulars.

    The last few times I tried to make Pho I was overwhelmed…rather go drive a few miles and spend 5 bux

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    Single Guy Chef — 2/14/08 @ 5:52 pm

    I pho lazy, so I always just go out for pho.

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    MyF — 2/15/08 @ 11:08 am

    I’ve been wondering how to make this dish… I always have this one outside and it tastes super, especially on rainy days! Yours look wonderful and yummi…

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    Eddie Lin — 2/15/08 @ 2:21 pm

    Next time you’re in town (LA/OC) I need to take you to Little Saigon, with Ann Le if possible. She wrote the “Little Saigon Cookbook” and is expert in all things Vietnamese that’s edible!

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    Cynthia — 2/15/08 @ 9:29 pm

    J, I have this book an it is an absolute treasure! I wish I was there to enjoy a big bowl of pho with you.

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    Rebecca — 2/16/08 @ 1:33 am

    Jaden, I hope you don’t mind-I tagged you for being interesting!
    at http://fromargentinawithlove.typepad.com/from_argentina_with_love/

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    Ellie — 2/16/08 @ 8:57 am

    I LOVE pho, and am super happy that this doesn’t include any lemon grass, which I’m allergic to! Bookmarked to be tried next weekend!

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    Simply...Gluten-free — 2/17/08 @ 10:11 pm

    Un-pho-king believable! I love Pho and used to eat it at least once a week in California, have yet to find a place around here. I’m gonna try out the chicken version. Thanks!

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    Deborah Dowd — 2/18/08 @ 10:35 am

    I am so glad to see this step by step. I have always wanted to try pho, but have been too pho-king intimidated! I am on the hunt for those bags of bones!

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    Tartelette — 2/18/08 @ 12:40 pm

    Now that’s love! Vietnamese cuisine is probably my favorite and you have no idea how this bowl of soup makes me happy!

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    Barbara — 2/19/08 @ 2:21 am

    Oh, Jaden, I love me some pho!

    I just don’t love the smell of the bones when I do the first boiling—you know when you get all the gick to come out before you dump out the water, rinse the bones, scrub the pot and start over with fresh water.

    So, I only make it in spring, summer or fall when I can have all the windows in the house OPEN to get that smell out! Few cooking smells bug me as much as the smell of the beef blood boiling out of bones. UGH!

    But the results are fantastic.

    BTW–I love those cookbooks, too! They are great.

    Now I feel the need to make some pho as soon as spring arrives. We can have a pho party to celebrate the first bloom of the crocus!

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    ME — 2/20/08 @ 12:46 am

    I just bought this cookbook because it fit all of my finicky requirements – 1) the author must be native of or have lived in the country for a longer period of time than it requires to get drunk and fraternize with the locals, 2) there must be stories!, and 3) the recipes have to taste good, duh!
    I actually just finished my last bowl of this exact Pho Bo not 6 hours ago. When I made the broth, after fine straining there were still little bits in the broth. In comes my personal quote “Laziness is the mother of invention.” So INVENTIVELY, I grabbed a clean towel and strained through that.
    Also a large stock pot with a spaghetti strainer insert is AWESOME for initial large stuff removal.

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    The Guilty Carnivore — 3/4/08 @ 7:08 pm

    My secret? I simmer for over 6-8 hours (usually overnight), whereupon the “scum” mysteriously collapses back into the broth, and then I strain, then cool, then skim the sheet of pure fat that collects on the top, then strain again. OCD works miracles.

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    Amelia — 3/14/08 @ 12:34 am

    I’ve been looking for a good solid pho recipe for awhile now, and this is the most comprehensive one I’ve found!! Pho is definitely my favorite food…I would eat it every single day if I could afford that, but spring break is coming up, and I’m very excited to try out this recipe!

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    Jaime — 3/14/08 @ 12:40 am

    hmmm… i will have to share this with my (vietnamese) mother and see what she thinks of the recipe. she makes a mean bowl of pho. it’s a shame i never really learned much vietnamese cuisine from her. and she is one of those cooks who never writes down a recipe!!! i should get her to write a cookbook everyone is always telling her she needs to open a restaurant, but she doesn’t want to do that. i swear she is one of the best cooks i know, and i’m not just saying that b/c i’m her offspring

    i’m also surprised you didn’t talk about the intonation involved in pronouncing the word. when pronounced properly, it sounds like you are asking a question. kind of like “HUH?!”

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    Heather — 5/1/08 @ 5:29 pm

    Ahh…I just returned to the States after 3 months in Ha Noi. I live in an area where I can’t even get westernized/bastardized Pho, so your post is a godsend. Using your instructions and a bit of ingenuity it’s simmering as I type…smells like victory!

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    Cammy — 6/6/08 @ 3:23 am

    For the pho spice, the ingredients include “6 whole cloves” … 6 whole cloves of what?! Will I be able to find this in an asian market too?

    Thanks so much for posting this recipe!! I’m so anxious to try it!!!! <3333333

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    SteamyKitchen — 6/6/08 @ 7:22 am

    Cloves are a common spice. So look for the spice called cloves, either at the Asian market or at the standard supermarket.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clove

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    Becky — 6/23/08 @ 10:04 pm

    once, when i was about to make pho, my viet friend stopped me, telling me about a viet myth. supposedly, if a non-viet person tried to make the noodle soup, it would taste like blood or worms or something equally disgusting. and as absurd as it was, it scared the heck outta me and i didn’t attempt it. but maybe…maybe, i’ll throw caution to the winds this time. nice pics!

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    Sunny — 8/9/08 @ 4:20 am

    I was able to get a Pho recipe from my friend’s mom. She left out a few spices compared to your receipe, everything else was exactly the same. Excellent recipe! I’m guessing she didn’t know how to describe the rest of them to us.

    I had one question though… How do you prevent scum from overtaking the pho when I pour hot soup over raw beef slices? I skim and skim and skim when boiling the soup and when it comes time to eat, with raw beef slices, it’s everywhere! The raw beef at the end just wastes all my efforts. It gets all mixed in with the meat and noodles! Yuck. How do they do it at the restaurant? Any suggestions?

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    SteamyKitchen — 8/9/08 @ 9:02 am

    Sunny: Try slowly ladling the soup in the bowl instead of pouring.
    Gentler, the better!

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    mark — 10/5/08 @ 5:40 pm

    I’m making my first batch as I type, about an hour to pho.. Jaden, you rock !!!! and you’re gorgeous!

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    Su — 10/22/08 @ 6:29 pm

    This is excellent! I’ve been dying to make my own pho. I will try it this weekend. I normally boil the stock for 2 hours. Who knew an extra hour would make a big diff!

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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    Josie — 12/7/08 @ 11:54 pm

    We love Pho. My husband and I always eat at a Vietnamese Restaurant in San Mateo. Every time I go to San Mateo we eat at this restaurant since the time they open. I don’t go to other restaurant anymore. Their Pho was very good, there is no comparison with the Vietnamese Restaurant in my area. I was looking for recipes in the internet and found some recipes. I just started cooking the broth. Now that I found this website I will try another recipe. I ordered the book authored by Andrea Nguyen and also got Mai Pham. I’m excited to make this recipe. What is the Pho seasoning? Help! Please explain the Pho seasoning.

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    Alicia — 12/10/08 @ 4:50 pm

    I LOVE Pho!!! I am so glad to have found this recipe. I am five months pregnant and crave this daily. Im making some at the moment. Except, the lady at the vietnamese market told me to use only half of the pho seasoning packet so im not sure what to do about that. Use the whole thing or half?????? I know it wasnt easy dividing it up.

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    SteamyKitchen — 12/10/08 @ 5:20 pm

    Depends on if pack of spices is meant to be made with a big ass pot of water. Normally, when Vietnamese make pho at home, they simmer a gigantic pot. What size pot are you using?

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    Alicia — 12/10/08 @ 10:40 pm

    So I just got sdone making my pho and to me it tastes like the way the Pho seasoning packet smells and my broth was clear at first but I let it cook and extra hour and for some reason it turned a light brown. Any ideas why this happened to me?? Anything I should have done different?

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    SteamyKitchen — 12/11/08 @ 3:15 pm

    Alicia – It’s perfectly normal! How did it taste?

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    Alicia — 12/11/08 @ 10:48 pm

    To me it tasted a little to much like that season bag, the way it smelled if you know what I mean. I used almost the whole thing. The next day it wasnt as bad, I diluted it with water a tad bit. I eat mine with a whole lime, I LOVE lime and cilantro. I like to use that oil with the crushed red pepper in it and I bought some from the HOng KOng market but to me it didnt taste the same as the kind I use at this place I am a regular customer at called “Pho Vietnam” so I didnt really use it. Now I need to master the Salad roll with peanut sauce…LOL cause it was missing that. My lady calls it salad roll and puts shrimp, lettuce, bean sprout, noodlles and vietnamese pork YUMMY!!!! I LOVE her’s
    Oh! I used I think a 12qt pot

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    Alicia — 12/22/08 @ 1:07 am

    So today I went to the hong kong market to get the things I need to make pho again and this vietnamese lady told me not to add the mesh bag untill 15-30 mins before it’s done. SHE said cook for 3 to 4 hours then add mesh bag for 15-30 mins she also gave me this box that has the 2 mesh bags ready to use called “Pho pasteur” is this accurate information?
    The last time I made pho, it tasted to much like the mesh bag of seasoning so im going to “Try” it this way I guess. Can anyone tell me what Lemon grass is and what you use it for? This lady said it was good for the digestive system

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    SteamyKitchen — 12/22/08 @ 3:59 am

    Hi Alicia – Lemongrass is an herb – and yes, very healthy for you! I grow it in my backyard.

    I don’t know what “Pho Pasteur” is. Let me know how it goes! If it doesn’t taste right, gather the seasonings yourself from good quality spice company and make your own bag. Your previous attempt at pho might have failed because the spices were old.

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    StephanInMontreal — 12/22/08 @ 1:07 pm

    This recipe is awesome. My broth is coming along nicely as I write this. I actually managed to find the Pho spice package, mesh bag and all, at an asian grocery store in Montreal.

    Just want to caution you on the fish sauce. It’s very pungent. I put less than the specified amount and drained the whole thing and restarted my broth from scratch because the fishy smell was too strong to my liking. I usually enjoy fish, but this fish sauce is really fishy, baby !

    We’re lucky in Montreal because Vietnamese restaurants abound ! However, it’s always nice to have Vietnamese beef soup at home. I think I’ll fix some spring rolls too !

    Thanks for the great and authentic recipe !

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    Steve — 12/24/08 @ 12:29 pm

    I’ve been making Pho for many years and now my wife, who is Lao, and all of her relatives love my Pho better than theirs.

    I kick it up a notch though. Try adding 4 – 5 dried hot red chilies to the broth while it simmers. Yum yum!

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    Lilly — 12/28/08 @ 7:36 pm

    You are so amazing!
    I am a talened amature cook.Most part I have done the same thing as yours. Your techniques are so special that I learned. For example, boiling beef bones in 10 minutes and get rif of first boiling water (I guessed to make clear soup purpose). I roasted ginger and put in soup, but not onion. I will try baked onion, put in soup next time.
    Your recipies, detailed techniques, visual pictures (marrow, name of seasoning) would be appreciated to support cook.
    Thanks so much

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     Half&Half — 12/30/08 @ 7:57 pm

     I’ve been searching for a recipe for Pho because I am moving to Augusta where there isn’t any Vietnames restaurants to speak of and wanted to make sure that I could make this dish, not just from memory.

     The ingredients are exactly the same as the ones my mother uses when making Pho. It’s really important to do the pre-boil, it makes such a big difference.

     Jaden, you did an ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS step-by-step instructions, just the way my mother does it!

     Thanks!

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     Nguyen Thieu Anh — 1/6/09 @ 10:32 am

     Alicia–In Vietnam, phô restaurants are named by “Phô” followed by the street name. So it is common to see restaurants named “Phô [## road]” or in this case, “Phô Pasteur” for the location on Pasteur Street. In short, the name of the spice mix is a location (and also a mediocre phô restaurant in Boston).

     As recommended above, you’re best off purchasing your own spices. Lemongrass is great in some dishes, but not for phô (savvy store owners have to make a living somehow). Most of human sense of taste is related to smell, so avoid mesh bags made of plastic in the broth (which give it that “mesh bag” smell). If in doubt, use cheesecloth or even a large strainer for tea (metal).

     Hope it goes well!

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     Lisa — 1/6/09 @ 11:49 pm

     Thank you for the recipe! I order this every chance I get from a my local thai restaurant. yes, I know this is a vietnamese dish but the thai is just as wonderful and the same ingredients. Of course I’m not a true asian connoisseur who has had the opportunity to try the soup in Vietnam, I just know that I enjoy immensley the lovely spices and herbs in that velvety broth of goodness. With this recipe posted above I’m now going to make my own pot of Pho. Thank you for this recipe again and wish me luck!

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     john black — 1/7/09 @ 2:33 pm

     Generally Ido not post on blogs, but I would like to say that this post really forced me to do so! really nice post.

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     Jessie — 1/13/09 @ 11:04 am

     Yes!!! Went to the asian market yesterday and found all the ingredients to make this and your mom’s egg rolls. Thank you so much. Love your site!

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     Clarita — 1/15/09 @ 6:32 pm

     Amazing website!! I have never been to vietnam but was introduced to pho soup in 2003 and have never looked back, made it once, but this recipe with amazing photos has inspired me to have another go!! can’t wait! will let you know!

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     catherine — 1/20/09 @ 10:35 am

     i just made it and it’s delicious. I like all pictures that demonstrate the steps and help me a lot! Thank you very much!!

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     Eva — 2/12/09 @ 3:55 pm

     You RoCk!! I CANNOT Wait to try this…. my mouth is watering!! Thanks for posting this and having a great sense of humor at the same time

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     John — 2/16/09 @ 2:05 pm

     I love this and make loads of it usually in the winter. I freeze the broth in large, single serving containers. I usually simmer it for about 12 hours or so as I don’t like to leave it unattended overnight but if you say 3 hours is enough, I’m MORE than willing to try it. Also, I have tried buying frozen knuckle bones from Asian markets and unfortunately, they usually don’t have a “sell by” date on thier packaging.
     If you’re reading this and have not tried to make this, you must try it. The smell that fills the house is amazing!

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     amiterisu — 2/19/09 @ 6:44 am

     This looks really good,I”m going to have to try this someday,I’ve had pho,but wondered what was in it.I believe I allready have a few things in stock allready.*I hardly post in blogs*

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     Harold — 2/21/09 @ 2:30 pm

     This is one of my favorite dishes at some of my local Asian restaurants. I particularly love to eat it when I’m feel a cold coming on.

     And it must absolutely include Jalapeno slices for me.

     I had always wondered what the recipe was. I can’t wait to try it myself.

     Thanks!

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     Viet — 3/3/09 @ 9:57 pm

     This is one of the best article about Pho, Pho-sure I will keep following your website and the wonderful work you provide for us. I find your writing very comprehensive, methodical yet whimsicle and captivating. Alejandra Cortez (my daughter’s mom) is opening the FIRST ever Pho establishment in Baja California and she will use your article as her mantra. Again, thank you for all your work.

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     James — 3/4/09 @ 7:29 pm

     There is nothing like pho and getting it right at home has seemed an impossibility until now. These directions make it sound so absolutely easy that I can’t wait to try it. I’m truly glad to find this blog.

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     Carlin — 3/12/09 @ 10:04 am

     I was directed here from a different site. This is the way I normally cook pho, cept I usually simmer for a bit longer. I would say pretty much your method of doing things is almost spot on to mine.

     For the raw beef though, I would recommend eye round, its what most restaurants and grandmothers use.

     PS, remove all reference of play on words using the word “pho”

     kthxbai.

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     Bethany — 3/14/09 @ 3:15 pm

     Thanks for the recipe! For a white girl like me who is not well versed in Vietnamese cooking this was perfect! It was so very detailed and the pictures were also very helpful! Thanks and wish me luck!

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     Monique — 3/14/09 @ 11:34 pm

     Thanks for this recipe!!! This was pretty easy to make and tasted absolutely delicious. Any one should try it if you have the time! Thanks again!

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     andra — 3/21/09 @ 4:22 pm

     Very authentic recipe! We love Pho but we moved recently and have just one French-Vietnamese restaurant in the area and the pho gets kind of pricey so I decided to try it at home. Easy to make and delicious. Thank you! Once again, very authentic!

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     Chad — 3/22/09 @ 4:40 pm

     Great recipe. We made a quick and reduced calorie version of this last night and it turned out well. The augmented recipe can be found at http://www.cibusvitae.com/archives/14-Quick-Pho.html. Thanks again!

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     teriberi — 3/22/09 @ 8:39 pm

     I’m making it this week. I have never made beef pho, only chicken. So same concept except with beef bones. Can’t wait. Great post!

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     Wendell — 3/30/09 @ 10:37 am

     I use to make pho with that jar of “pho” flavoring and can tell you that it was aweful compared to this recipe. I threw those things out.

     I made this at a friends house and although I cooked it in a relatively short amount of time compared to what the recipe says, it still turned out marvelous! Thanks very much for what I think is a very good, authentic recipe!

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     anne — 4/6/09 @ 2:14 am

     Hello.. just want to know if you just used one cardamom pod. I plan to make the soup this week.

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     Larry — 4/11/09 @ 8:08 am

     Love the play on words with the letter ‘Pho’. Especially Pho-king amazing.

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     vietnamese cook — 4/11/09 @ 1:45 pm

     It is 1:45 am now . So hungry while reading the post

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     David — 4/11/09 @ 5:39 pm

     Thanks a whole lot for this, I’m from El Salvador and we have a similar soup sans the noodles and this is just awesome similar yet different and I love it a whole lot, I been eating restaurant Pho for too long I’m gonna be adventurous and make my own soon.

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     dar — 4/12/09 @ 5:00 pm

     my friend gave me a recipe that his mother uses. it included everything that you mentioned plus an apple. i was pretty intrigued. i haven’t tried it because i’m never home. have you ever used an apple in your pho?

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     lisaho — 4/15/09 @ 12:13 pm

     hehehe thank for the easy to follow recipe with a great sense of humour . I’ll be confident making pho for my in-laws next week, my first time, finally hubby will get to try my long waited pho i told him century ago i would make.

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     MJ — 4/16/09 @ 9:03 am

     I can’t believe you use such words as “beef balls” and “cock sauce”….there are better and more elegant ways to describe those food items you know.

     Wow, I had no idea people are coming to my blog looking for elegancy. ~jaden

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     claudia — 4/23/09 @ 7:17 pm

     this was very well done and entertaining. i like your style.

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     Michelle — 4/24/09 @ 2:10 am

     I only do very basic cooking but you made this recipe sound very doable for someone like me! My dad and I simply love the Vietnamese beef noodle soup available at a restaurant that is a 10min drive from my place! I’m gonna try out this recipe as a part of my birthday gift to my dad!

     great! happy bday to your dad! ~j

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     Anastacia Prabel — 4/24/09 @ 4:45 am

     Hi, I cant understand how to add your site in my rss reader. Can you Help me, please

     In your RSS reader, add “http://steamykitchen.com/blog/feed” ~j

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     Meg — 4/25/09 @ 11:30 pm

     My friend tells me that vinegared onions are often added to pho before it comes to the table. She loves them so much, she orders a seperate plate of vinegared onions, and adds them to her bowl.

     Is this authentic? And, if so, how do you make the onions?

     yes! they are. slice onions super super thin and soak them in white vinegar. I love them too. ~j

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     Meg — 4/27/09 @ 11:45 am

     I’m making the broth right now. I put the onions and ginger under the broiler, but it was taking FOREVER to char them. So, I whipped out my handy creme brulee torch, and finished them off in seconds! Also, I do have some optional beef (the thin end of an eye roast). Instead of putting it in the pot at the beginning, I’m going to put it in at the 1 1/2 hour mark so I don’t have to refrigerate it in the middle. Does that sound OK to you?

     Sounds great! You are so swift with that torch! Love it.
     will you be slicing the eye roast for serving? If so slice superthin, and put the raw slices in each serving bowl. When you pour the hot broth into the bowl, the slices of beef will cook.

     If you’re using the roast to flavor the broth than you can add any time to the pot. ~j

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     Evi — 4/30/09 @ 1:52 am

     Hi, I tried this Vietnamese pho recipe and taste beautiful. The aroma of the broth fill up my kitchen . I used beef meatball instead of sliced beef. My kids love it.

     Great! Thanks for letting me know! I’m glad your kids loved it. ~j

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     Lindsay — 5/12/09 @ 1:02 pm

     This recipe is so helpful, but there are still some things I have questions about, things that aren’t intuitive to me. If anyone knows the answers, please help! —

     —How do you identify a ‘good’ knuckle bone? The bones I find don’t have that yellowish color in the marrow like in the picture above, they are more greyish brown. (also, do you leave the fat on it or take it off before cooking?)

     — my broth ended up being pretty cloudy, unlike the tasty clear broths in pho joints in seattle. I parboiled it, strained it constantly, but it was still murky. Could it have to do with the beef knuckle that I bought?

     I wonder if pho joints just use pre-made beef broth or if they really go through the painstaking broth making process. Also, do they use MSG? My flavor just wasn’t as robust. I’m now here in rural idaho so I have to count on myself to make it good (thankfully SLC has good asian markets)

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     Davaliscious — 5/15/09 @ 7:35 pm

     Thank you for this post. As a professional cook with over twenty years in the restaurant industry it is always a pleasure to find a passionate and well trained individual who is willing to share one of their favorite recipes. I think the emphasis on fresh herbs, and finding bones with marrow (read ‘love’) is a key for this dish.
     Almost every cuisine i have explored has some type of slow cooked soup that essentially equates to ‘comfort food’. Certainly your pho is an excellent representation of one of the most aromatic and wonderful of these dishes.

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     Moe — 5/17/09 @ 4:44 pm

     I am a Pho addict and have spent soooo much money at the local Pho shops that I decided to make it myself and….

     Oh My Damn, This Recipe Was Awesome! The bones give it such a great flavor and the ingredients were spot on. I used a beef roast for the meat and it worked great. Miss Jaden, I am dedicating myself as your Pho slave!!!

     Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for sharing your Pho Wisdom with us! :0)

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     willy large — 5/19/09 @ 2:23 pm

     just stopped by to say i really liked your site – you’ve obviously put some hard work into it!

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     Mackmama — 5/21/09 @ 9:40 am

     Hello I am really a Pho addict and I would like for someone to give me a real easy recipe and shrimp is my choice of meat. I eat Pho for lunch almost twice a week and I love it some much I hate to get up from the table to come back to work. So now I would like to make it for myself at home. Please help

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     Chris — 5/22/09 @ 1:51 pm

     Has anyone tried using the consomme technique? I like a very clear broth and whipped egg whites are great for reducing particulate and don’t affect the flavor of broths.

     No, I haven’t – seems like a lot of work! You’ll have to tell me how it goes. ~j

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     Chris — 5/22/09 @ 6:34 pm

     I am making this soup for the first time today. I’ve varied the recipe slightly by brulee-ing the onions and ginger in olive oil and pan roasting the bones for 35-45 minutes in a 475° oven. Then I added the browned bones, onions, ginger, salt and 2/3 of the spice blend. Once my stock has simmered for 3 hours I will strain and add 1 lbs of ground chuck mixed with 8 slightly whipped egg whites an the remaining 1/3 of the spice blend. Then simmer very low for 30-45 min and serve soup as recommended. I’ll post my results later.

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     Sue — 5/22/09 @ 10:31 pm

     Oh your legend Andrea my ability of cooking and eat Vietnamese food great relied on my strained relationship with my mother and I love pho!
     So this is definitely going to save me a few quids at the restaurants which it goes without saying is my only refuge when when mum and me are having a blue which way too often
     but more over it’s been the bane of my existence that I’m a Vietnamese chic who can’t cook Vietnamese, pho or anything really – except finger foods to be honest – kind of like an Italian who can’t cook pizza or anything well would feel undoubtedly defunct – of course if your of the later I do sympathize with you – Ironically I’m Vietnamese who cook better Italian then Vietnamese.

     Though in mum’s defense she has begrudgingly taught me how to cook but cultural and personality gaps are too wide and with so much angst in the kitchen I refuse to go through the torture ‘love is suppose to go into good food not angst’ – we really do epitomize the analogy of You Can’t have too many Cooks in the Kitchen.

     While there’s other Vietnamese cook books – let’s face it they all kind of lack the authenticity and the ones that are authentic are written in Vietnamese and no I don’t read Vietnamese either
     you see my delma and I lost my Woman’s day Vietnamese Cookbook too and they didn’t bother printing updated version either – bastards! I will be ordering a copy if it’s available to Australia otherwise it’s great that some of your recipe are accessible online that it self and narrowing the cultural divide!

     Many Thanks for your Enterprising Spirit
     please contact me if you need any pointers on how to get out there I’m a Business Developer and of course I’ll be more then happy to helping you get it out complimentary to all that appreciate good Vietnamese cuisine and all the ‘defunct Vietnamese chics’ as I do have contacts with all the publishers globally and I suspect in your neck of the woods as well so forward me a email address and I will steer you in the right direction.

     Sue Beverly Hills Sydney & RIC OPTIMAL AUSTRALIA ricsupport@live.com

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     Shantell — 6/14/09 @ 6:36 pm

     Thank you for such an easy to follow recipe (the humor was also appreciated). I was able to create an even more tasty version of my weekly addiction. I look forward to trying more of your recipes!

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     Patty — 6/25/09 @ 6:24 pm

     I looooove asian food and love to try my hand at cooking recipes I enjoy! I just recently became a pho addict, and this recipe is wonderful. My boyfriend hates to try new food and he loves it……oh, and I have to say I enjoyed the pho-humor on the site!

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     denise from florida — 6/29/09 @ 10:44 am

     Great recipe thank you. delish making it as i write. Phee Phi PHO Phum!!! Denise

     LOL!!! too cute! ~j

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     tinabeans — 7/2/09 @ 1:32 am

     you are the pho-king pho king man. (unless you’re a lady)

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     Lisa P. — 7/4/09 @ 8:11 pm

     Lovely, lovely recipe! My husband and I are pho crazy and tonight’s meal with your recipe was fantastic! (Or should I say pho-ntastic….) I do have a comment and question. I noticed your recipe adds just beef. We really like tripe and tendon too, so I made sure Chinatown in Chicago had a special visit from me today to find these two ingredients. I wasn’t sure how long to cook them, so I threw them both in the broth for 2 hours. Tendon was maybe a little overdone, tripe seemed like it needed much less time. Any experience cooking with these tissues? This was my first attempt.

     Your site is great, Jaden. I’m always looking for food that is fresh, Asian, and all around fun.

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     pho-natic ;) — 7/14/09 @ 6:36 pm

     hey! i have also never posted on a blog, but this is awesome! Browsing thru your site has made me soooo hungry!! I adore pho, and i love that at the local viet rest, it is always packed but silent except for noodle slurping….ahh, heaven. The broth always makes my eyes roll back in my head, i swear.

     on condiments…does anyone know what the jar of hot chilis w/oil in it is? It tastes roasted, and a *tiny* dribble of the oil makes it amazing. I brought some home in a tiny take out container, yum.

     And now, i can make pho! I have looked at other recipes/websites, and the recipes just never seem right. The combo of ingredients, photos and YES the humor is perfect! Keep on rockin!

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     Steve — 7/17/09 @ 6:36 pm

     KICK IT UP A NOTCH!

     Okay, I won’t ruin a great thing. This recipe is exactly the way I have made Pho for years with the exception of the cardamon and I add one more item: 6-10 whole dried thai chili. This dish is so wonderful on a cold day that when we add the dried chili, it warms the soul even more.

     Now, my wife is Lao and I have had many of her aunties Pho (which the Lao call “Fir”, but the Lao version is very bland as served since they prefer to add much of the fish sauce and soy sauce at the table.

     But, they do have one unique add to the meal. Have fresh Thai chili at the table. After a spoon of broth or bite of noodle, bite a small piece of the chili. To westerners, it may seem harsh at first but, over time you will find the experience actually accentuates the taste. Yummmm yummmm. Another rush of warm. Try it, but remember a tiny bite of the chili.

     Oh! One other helpful hint. To slice the beef super thin, as suggested here, place your beef in the freezer for 1-2 hours before slicing. The beef will be firm and with a sharp knife, you can slice perfect thin slivers.

     Thanks Erica. Great recipe! Oops, add some sliced spring onion and fried garlic to your veggies too.

     P.S. RE: A Previous Post: MJ needs to get out more. Culture doesn’t ring the door bell at the Penthouse…..Beef Brain, HA!

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     Margo — 7/20/09 @ 9:29 pm

     Thank you for the wonderful recipe! A group of us (myself and some friends) are going to try this next month. I was so glad to see that you had star of anice in the recipe, as my dad (Santa Claus…YES REALLY! That is his legal name) says that that is the ingredient that makes the soup! My dad has a website if you want to check him out. I believe it’s santainmarysville.com….then you can see that I’m telling the truth!

     Of course in the restaurants I always add nuoc mam (Can’t remember the spelling, but it’s Fish sauce…which you want the lighter colored as the really dark colored is really really strong!) and fresh lime as well as some chili/pepper sauce. Not the one that is dark and oily, and not the one that is a lighter red with no peppers. It’s closer to the one that is lighter red, but has peppers in it. By the time I get done “doctoring” it up, it usually has a red ring around the bowl…but will clean up or rather drain your whole sinus cavity and give your lips a little zing!

     the lips stinging is the BEST! love spicy spicy. ~jaden

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     Lulu — 7/23/09 @ 1:05 am

     I just tried your recipe and it turned out reall really good! My boyfriend loved it! Thank you soo much for sharing such an awesome recipe with us!

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     CHuynh — 7/23/09 @ 1:12 am

     Great post on a popular Viet noodle dish. I especially enjoyed your illustrations. The article itself is a very nice recipe, but done in such unconventional manner that it’s also a fun read even if one has no intention of cooking pho him/herself

     For help pronouncing pho correctly, here’s a helpful article on Pho Pronunciation.

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     james — 7/23/09 @ 10:44 am

     Great recipe!! I tried a very similar recipe once before but used ox tails instead of beef bones. It lacked body so I think the marrow in the bones is the key to your recipe. I can’t wait to try it again!

     Also, I have found using the thin slices of sukiyaki-style rib eye that they sell in the asian grocery stores (fresh meat dept) works great as well.

     I also load mine up with plenty of siracha and thai bird chilies/jalapenos table-side. If I’m not crying, it’s not spicy enough Don’t forget the sugar too!! Adds good blance…

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     Adam — 7/31/09 @ 9:30 pm

     This is super good! Makes a ton though, if you live alone you’re going to want to cut this recipe in half.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — July 31st, 2009 @ 10:06 pm

       Or you could freeze the broth!

       • 

         Tamara replied: — August 8th, 2009 @ 5:40 pm

         LOL That’s what I’m planning on! I’m cooking this for my 3 year old son and myself so I know we’ll have tons of leftovers.

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     Frank — 8/1/09 @ 6:57 pm

     I tried this recipe. It’s the first time I’ve ever made stock. It’s still simmering but for some reason the broth looks really gray and unappetizing. I think I got some bad bones or something. =(

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 1st, 2009 @ 7:37 pm

       What does it smell like? It shouldn’t be gray. What kind of bones did you use?

       • 

         Frank replied: — August 1st, 2009 @ 8:51 pm

         The smell wasn’t pleasant, but it is hard to describe. My local grocery store didn’t have any beef bones at all, but when I went to the local Asian supermarket to get some fish sauce, they had some, so that’s what I bought. However, I’m not sure what kind they were. They didn’t seem to have any marrow at all.

         Your recipe looks incredibly delicious, though, so I plan to try it again tomorrow if I can locate some ingredients that are more along the lines of what you recommended. I’ve learned my lesson and I won’t improvise next time! =)

         • 

           SteamyKitchen replied: — August 2nd, 2009 @ 8:54 am

           Quality of broth totally dependent on quality of bones! You dont’ have to use leg bones with marrow – any type of bones will do. That harsh boil at the beginning is essential. Next time harsh boil a bit longer to get more of that “guck” out.

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     nath — 8/8/09 @ 11:40 pm

     does using rock sugar really make a big difference versus regular cane sugar? i really want to make the stock but dont have any rock sugar on hand at the time. i do have regular sugar and some palm sugar. thanks in advance for the yummy looking recipe.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 8th, 2009 @ 11:44 pm

       Use whatever sugar you want. Rock sugar is more traditional, has deeper flavor. Sub with palm sugar or 1/2 brown sugar + 1/2 white sugar.

       • 

         Nath replied: — August 10th, 2009 @ 3:11 pm

         Mmm thanks so much. I made this yesterday n found it to taste even better today. The soup became much more fragrant n flavorful after resting in fridge a day. Yummy!

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     Peter — 8/11/09 @ 7:07 pm

     Wooow!!! Good work!

     I appreciate the fact that you did your research thoroughly before speaking/acting, and I love that. My comment though on your “Vegetables and Herbs” for Pho (I understand they’re your favorites, not necessary everyone’s) is not to eat Pho with Mint (trust me on this – I speak Vietnamese fluently if you wonder how I know). Instead, you may want to add Sawtooth Herb or coriander (Vietnamese: Ngo Gai) as it is known in English (Eryngium foetidum) – just google it. In addition, some Vietnamese families (mostly in the South) even add Rice Paddy Herb (Vietnamese: Ngo Om; English: Limnophila aromatica) to Pho. I did try it and loved it. Thanks again for the article – Two thumbs up!

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     Toan — 8/17/09 @ 6:29 pm

     I agreed with Peter, mint in Pho is just weird.
     We always eat Pho with Ngo Gai, never with Ngo Om, sound interesting though. Peter, is the intense aroma from Ngo Om kill the aroma from the broth?

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 17th, 2009 @ 8:04 pm

       Well, unfortunately, I can’t get ngo gai at my markets. So we make do with the fresh herbs we can get at the market here locally.

       Plus, I’m from the anti-food snobbery camp that believes in makin’ it your way…as long as you enjoy it.

       • 

         Frank replied: — August 23rd, 2009 @ 3:48 pm

         I’ve actually found that mint is a better substitute for thai basil than sweet basil is. Mint tastes great.

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     JACKIE — 8/18/09 @ 6:17 pm

     For the spices, will it be okay to substitute with ground cardamom and coriander seed vice the whole ones?

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     Noemon — 8/18/09 @ 8:15 pm

     Am I right in thinking that the recipe above calls for black cardamom? Green cardamom seems much more like something I’d think to put in pho, but the photo of the spices clearly shows black cardamom.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 18th, 2009 @ 10:24 pm

       It’s what came in the pho spice bag… I am almost sure it was green. lighting was horrible in the kitchen you can’t really see what color it was.

       • 

         Noemon replied: — August 18th, 2009 @ 10:49 pm

         Hm. I didn’t see your reply until after I’d gotten to the spice bag adding stage of the broth, and ended up using black. We’ll see how it tastes in a couple of hours! It’s certainly smelling good.

         • 

           SteamyKitchen replied: — August 19th, 2009 @ 8:16 am

           Black should be fine – I’m sure you’ll still love it!

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     shane — 8/28/09 @ 7:36 am

     aussie married a vietnamese lady. we love to eat “Pho”. we eat it out alot but never been able to cook it at home and nail it. i followed the steamy kitchen recepie for “Pho” to the letter and my wife says we don’t need to eat “Pho” out any more.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 28th, 2009 @ 7:39 am

       Too cute. Thanks for coming by and letting me know. Say hi to wife for me!

       • 

         shane replied: — August 28th, 2009 @ 7:46 am

         will tomorrow she is asleep (catching up on sleep) with our first baby at the moment. do you have a recepie in the same format for “Bun bo hue”.

         • 

           SteamyKitchen replied: — August 28th, 2009 @ 7:49 am

           Not yet! But maybe time to get my butt in the kitchen and make Bun Bo Hue (one of my fav noodle soups) to document step by step.

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     shane — 8/28/09 @ 7:56 am

     i’m cheeky. But i agree.

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     Candace — 8/28/09 @ 9:44 am

     My boyfriend and I LOVE LOVE LOVE Pho but we are sick of having to go to the restaurant all the time. It is cheap but we are college students so sometimes we have to go without, not to mention its a pain having to go out each time and I’d love to eat Pho morning, noon and night! This recipe looks pretty complicated though, especially since the most complicated thing I’ve ever made myself is spaghetti but I think the boyfriend and I are going to give it a try, hopefully it works out! I’ll keep everyone posted on what happens! Hopefully we don’t burn the kitchen down! (kidding…kind of)

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     Josh — 8/30/09 @ 10:25 pm

     Thanks for the recipe and pho-king great humor!!!

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     Rommel — 9/4/09 @ 5:35 pm

     This is really good stuff!!!!!

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     Ryan Bartholomew — 9/7/09 @ 7:46 pm

     The best Pho I have ever had in Pho Cuong at nw 30th and Classen in Oklahoma City. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM… I wish I could make it at home too. Where do I get beef bones and the rest of this stuff?

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     Ant — 9/8/09 @ 11:23 am

     What other meats can i add to my Pho?

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     Lywana — 9/9/09 @ 10:47 am

     I found PHO in VANCOUVER WAHINGTON on my Christmas vacation and once we ate it it was to die for. My husband I live in Texas and we founf PHO in Beaumont and went crazy for it. I will be trying this website and the recipes. We can eat this everyday. I love it with the sauces and I love the idea of putting EVRY meat in it including shrimp!! Do you have a recipe for spring rolls? We are still looking for a Vietimesse Market so if you know anyone in South East Texas give us a shout. We are by Port Aurthur and Beaumont Texas.

     Great spring roll recipes at http://www.whiteonricecouple.com ~jaden

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     simon — 9/13/09 @ 3:03 pm

     One ingredient I find that elevates its a notch by giving it that authentic and unmistakable “Tonkinoise* ” flavor is beef shortrib. Try adding ~1-1.5lbs for every 2 gallons batch with all the usual kuckle bones, oxtail,etc and let me know what you folks think.

     * This soup is said to originate in the region at around the guft of Tonkin of formerly North Vietnam.

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     simon — 9/14/09 @ 9:53 am

     A question for all u fellow Vietnamese cuisine’s lovers: what is the secret to crispy yet tender but non-chewy Vietnamese spring rolls (cha gio) using rice paper wrapper and not Chinese egg roll wrapper? I don’t seem to get consistent result and would love your thoughts. Many thanks.

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     simon — 9/14/09 @ 10:02 am

     I have worked out a great 2dye4 chicken pho recipe and will share it with ya’ll next time. I promise u will all love it! Hint: I borrow a secret ingredient used in making Japanese udon broth and no, it is not bonito flakes, lol. Can anyone guess?

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     ashley — 9/19/09 @ 2:53 pm

     You are pho-king hilarious! Can’t wait to try my favorite meal at home!

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     Nicole — 9/20/09 @ 4:25 am

     Hi Steamy Kitchen. Is it ok to omit the sugar as I prefer to keep broth natural as possible? Thanks

     You can omit the sugar if you want, but it’s an essential ingredient to authentic pho. jaden

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     Nicole — 9/20/09 @ 4:28 am

     Hi Simon. As for your chic pho secret ingredient…i could only guess either miso or dashi (but then again, it’s made from bonito flakes!) So where’s the recipe??

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     niki — 9/22/09 @ 4:21 pm

     first of all, thanks for sharing! great recipe. this is my second time using your recipe. the first time i made i added one big chunk of rock sugar, my mistake. and it turned out too sweet.

     the supermarkets around me don’t sell beef bones from legs or knuckles i always have to use oxtail or the usual beef bones. one day i will try to find the knuckles with marrows. it sounds like it made the soup so great!

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     Ioben — 9/24/09 @ 4:37 pm

     This is my first time making pho’ on my own and boy does this recipe smell delisssh!! I did however add different bones… I used cow neck, ox tail, and knuckle bones. Also, the local Asian food market (Hong Kong Food Market) didn’t have the Cardamon, so I used a prepackaged “herbal mix” (no idea what the characters mean, but on the back it says, “Nguyen Lieu Nau Pho”). It had all the spices, except there was two additional spices in the mesh package… Guanua and Licorice. But! It still smells ummm good! And I’m presently taking a few slurps, here and there, as it simmers. So far… so good! I’ll update later on, when my fiancee comes home from work… she’s going to be VERY surprised!!

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     Hugh — 9/25/09 @ 7:33 pm

     I have been looking for an authentic Pho. This recipe is original, flavourful, just fantastic.

     Thank you

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     Dr.Phil — 9/27/09 @ 9:35 pm

     Thank you for posting this recipe. We tried alfalfa sprout instead of mung bean sprouts. Bleah! Stick with the mung bean sprouts. Someone mentioned sawtooth herb. I think this is culantro or recao of puerto rico as well (as a cross reference). It is a pain in the butt to grow. The bones we used were beef femur/knee and some oxtail. I left the oxtail sections whole and made them part of the final bowls. Mmmm. Is there anything better than the gelatinous connective tissue after a few hours of boiling. thanks again!
     Dr. Phil

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     simon — 9/29/09 @ 5:22 am

     Here it is folks, the world best (arguably) pho gà recipe. Do try it and promise me to post your feedbacks. The recipe is for 6-10, a necessary minimum quantity for the best possible flavor and cost efficiency in ingredient purchase for most cooking-from-scratch
     broth based recipe in my humble opinion.
     For the broth:
     -1 large (3-4lbs) old stewing hen (from a better Chinese grocery store in ur area)
     -10-15 whole sprig of scallions, cleaned, folded in two and tied up with cotton twill (this is the secret to authentic and exceedingly fragrant Japanese and Chinese basic meat broth).
     -8 inches of pelled dikon cut into 4 sections
     -1 large or 2 smaller dried squid, washed
     -5-8 dried shitake mushrooms,washed
     -1 large onion, pelled and halfed
     -15-20 black peppercorn lightly crushed (to add in the broth only after skimming
     away all the brown foam produced when stock starts to boil)
     -2-3 tablespoons of kosher salt

     Put everything except crushed peppercorn in a large stock pot+enough cold tap water to cover chicken and bring it to a boil on high heat. Skim any brown foam
     away and reduce heat to simmer (3-4 on knob) and leave it for…3-4 hours.
     Add two cups of cold waters half way.
     The stock is ready.

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     simon — 9/29/09 @ 5:47 am

     Garnish and prep work( I will leave the quantity to your preference):
     -Dried rice noodle or vermicelli (I prefer the latter) pre-soak in hot or warm water, rince and parboiled, the same way as you would in regular beef based pho.
     -1large boneless and hand pulled home made or store bought roast chicken-not bbq flavor-(salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of room temp butter rubbed inside out of whole chicken and bake in 425 degree F oven for 1h to 1h 15mn: I butterfly the whole chicken to reduce cooking time).
     -shredded scallion
     -chopped cilantro
     -thinly sliced onion(red or vidalia- medium size)
     -sweet (Thai) basil hand torn (an important and required ingredient)
     -1 or 2red chilli pepper cut diagonally (if you eat spicy)
     -fresh lime wedges (I prefer it to lemon as the latter has a strong and distinct flavor that reminds me of western style dessert-which I love- but interfere with the flavor here)

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     simon — 9/29/09 @ 6:07 am

     Serving time:
     Have your mise en place ready (see garnish and prep work section)+hot, simmering broth on stove top.
     In each 3-cup capacity size bowl put in:
     1 tablespoon of undiluted fish sauce (to taste)
     -half a teaspoon of sugar
     -crack fresh pepper( to taste)
     -approx 1-1.5 cup of cooked and still warm rice noodle or vermicelli
     -shredded roast chicken (1/4 – 1/3 cup per serving- up to you)
     -sliced onion

     Top with very hot (but not boiling) broth
     -garnish with cilantro,shredded scallion and two or three slices of red chilli pepper
     Serve immediately with Thai basil and lime wedges on table to be added by dinner.
     Bon appétit!

     I usually make the broth the day before I serve this soup as its flavor improves over night.

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     simon — 9/29/09 @ 6:30 am

     P.S
     I live alone and yet I always cook the amount I suggested in the recipe above (same amount of effort whether you cook more or less!).
     I just date, label and freeze any remaining broth in used tofu or margarine tubs.
     Those who are in the same situation as I am know and understand that sometime (or often) when you get home from work tired and hungry, the last thing on your mind is to start cooking.
     In the past (and still do now) when I got home from work, I would opened the fridge door, surveyed the beautiful produces, meat, fruit I had purchased over the weekend
     and pondered what to cook. Then closed the fridge door and proceeded to watch the news on tv while eating a …peanut butter sandwich.

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     simon — 9/29/09 @ 10:37 am

     I missed an optional but authentic ganish ingredient: sawtooth herb (aka kgo gai in Vietnamese).
     Get this herb if you can as it enhances and completes this soup in a unique and delicious way. Wash, dry, julienne it and sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of this
     on top of your bowl and enjoy!

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     brian — 9/30/09 @ 2:43 pm

     cook this

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     Jon Pham — 9/30/09 @ 4:58 pm

     I grew up eating Pho, but have never tried making it, even though I am now a chef.

     But at the moment, I have a gigantic pot of your pho sitting on my stove simmering away. I am making it for my dad’s birthday. Seeing him make the soup as I grew up is what I think has inspired me to become a chef.

     And after about 2 hrs of simmering, I must say, this is probably one of the best broths I have ever tasted.

     I really do appreciate all your research. I am sure he will love it!

     also, a little secret I have from my child hood:
     I always saw my dad putting apples in it. Probably just because they were laying around, but I know now that it is a great way to add extra flavor instead of just putting blandly sweet sugar in the soup. give it a try!

     thanks again!

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     Kristin — 10/1/09 @ 1:34 pm

     Chào Cô!

     I lived in Hanoi from 1999-2005 and these days crave so many foods I used to eat there. I did a couple things differently, but your excellent recipe helped me make my own phở so I don’t have to crave or pay $9 for a poor imitation of phở in Ann Arbor. There’s no one making it well here.

     I wonder if you can tell me how to make quẩy nóng? Phở just doesn’t seem complete without them. I have found several recipes in Vietnamese but they contain words for ingredients that I don’t know and I don’t want to make mistakes.

     Thank you so much for your help. This is a wonderful site.

     -Kristin “Thủy Tiên”

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     Basil — 10/3/09 @ 7:06 am

     Photos of the spices used for Pho is a great help. I will look for these spice bags in Chinatown in New York and hope to find it. Otherwise, I will have to purchase these spices separately while I am there. Thank you.

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     diana — 10/5/09 @ 3:45 pm

     this is a great recipe.. funny website!! “cock sauce= sriracha sauce… hahahha.. lol.. love it. and “scumbag” is great too. fun and easy instructions. good job! thanks for sharing your recipe! i love bone marrow.. i actually scoop it out and eat it in my pho.. tastes like foie gras!! =]

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     Fanta — 10/11/09 @ 4:50 pm

     You have a wonderful way of explaining stuff. So much fun. I am now really in the mood to make this wonderful beef Pho. Diana…I sometimes spread the marrow on toast. It´s something close to heaven, I believe! (Ok, only once a year or so)

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     NYRain — 10/13/09 @ 6:50 pm

     I love pho and had eaten pho numberous times at different places, including Vietnam. Nothing beats my mom-in-law’s pho. She cooks well. Her recipe matches closedly to yours. For the ginger and onions, she just microwave them for like 40 sec. That’s easier than roasting. As for spices, she bought them separately. She uses a slow cooker and left it overnight with all her ingredients. In the morning, her pho is unbelievable tasty. Happy cooking.

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     Kristi — 10/14/09 @ 10:49 pm

     Pho is such a great comfort food and I made it earlier this year by using daikon radishes as the noodles. It added some crunchy goodness and was a lot of fun. http://www.austinfarmtotable.com/2009/03/pho-magic.html

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     cuppy — 10/17/09 @ 1:05 pm

     I’ve made this twice now, using this exact recipe, and it’s awesome. Don’t forget to toast your spices, too. Thanks for a great recipe!!

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     jaime — 10/24/09 @ 1:27 pm

     If you make it to Lincoln Nebraska any time, make sure you stop in to Pho Nguyenn… it’s amazing!! (27th & Q streets)

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     April Roberts — 10/30/09 @ 1:48 pm

     hey there!! i LOVE pho but im trying to figure something out. at the restraunt i go to alot they started putting this vegetable or noodle or something in it and i cant figure out what it is. they dont know really good english just the basics so they dont really understand when i ask them what it is. its long and flat looking like a noodle,pale too. it has almost spiney like things on it and it has a very distinct taste…..almost kinda lemony. its not sawgrass or lemongrass so does anyone know what it is? thanks very much.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — October 30th, 2009 @ 2:23 pm

       Take a photo next time you go! We’ll help you solve the mystery….

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     Mirabour — 10/30/09 @ 5:15 pm

     Thanks very much for this recipe. I’ve never made pho from scratch; instead I’ve always used canned broth or pho base paste from a local Asian market.

     My new partner is on a reduced sodium diet so I decided it was time to find a recipe. Yours looks delicious, and the clear instructions are also excellent. I can’t wait to make this — with less salt, of course. Thank you very much for sharing this.

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     Hello Kitty — 11/1/09 @ 9:35 pm

     April Roberts- what you’re describing sounds like the lining of cow stomach… also know as tripe.

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     simon — 11/2/09 @ 10:15 am

     Hi April Roberts and all the folks that love Vietnamese cuisine,
     Google ‘Vietnamese herbs’ and you will come across a site compiled by WhiteOnRiceCouple that shows photographs and descriptions of pretty much every possible herbs and spices used in Vietnamese cooking. I am intrigued by your mystery ingredient as well April Robert. How is it served? Is it in cooked in the broth or sprinkle on top as garnish? Is it presented in the same plate as the ubiquitous garnish plate with herbs and beansprout? You piqued my curiosity…

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     M.R. — 11/8/09 @ 2:55 pm

     I’ve used your recipe now three times and love it! Thanks! A Vietnamese almost-cousin-in-law recommended your web site to me.

     I use oxtail instead of knuckle or leg bones. After about 2-3 hours of simmering, I take the nuggets of meat off the oxtail and return the bones to the pot.

     I’ve added some pre-made beef or chicken stock to the broth toward the end because my broth wasn’t flavorful enough (good organic kind that’s not too high in salt).

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     M.R. — 11/8/09 @ 5:31 pm

     I also add thinly cut tripe to the top of the bowl of steaming pho – it adds crunch. Has to tripe that’s prepared for pho from our Vietnamese market near by. It’s very clean, thin and white.

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     CalvinD49 — 11/10/09 @ 5:53 pm

     Thanks for what looks like a very tasty recipes.
     I have made beef stock like this in the past for french onions soup and found that browning the bones a hot oven for 30 min to an hour really ups the taste, although probably not “original” in the cuisine. Also, never let the stock come to a boil, it will stay much clearer in the long run.
     Now, off to the butcher to order my bones.
     Thanks again.
     CalvinD49

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     Gary — 11/11/09 @ 9:27 pm

     how can I find tendon, tripe, fat brisket, etc. Please.

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     Jerry Huynh — 11/12/09 @ 12:05 am

     April Roberts-

     The description you you put down ” its long and flat looking like a noodle,pale too. it has almost spiney like things on it and it has a very distinct taste “…….I could be wrong, but are you talking about beef tripe? or it could be dicon?…….

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     Ron Eberhard — 11/14/09 @ 1:50 pm

     Interesting recepe, but we always order vegetable pho with egg noodle
     Do you have any recipes. The pho we get at the restaurant has baby bok choy,
     broccoli,carrot,bamboo shoots,and other vegetables, and has fried tofu also.
     They bring us a dish with fresh bean sprouts,sprigs of basil,sliced jalapeno peppers,
     and weges of lime. Not sure if the broth is chicken,beef, or pork.
     We don’t text.
     Thank you

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — November 14th, 2009 @ 4:44 pm

       Ron-You can always make the pho as is, but also add some of the sliced vegetables that you’ve mentioned for a couple of minutes to cook.
       Might also like this one: http://steamykitchen.com/139-vietnamese-chicken-noodle-soup-pho-ga.html
       just add the vegetables to boil at the last minute.

       jaden

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     Nicole Kretz — 11/14/09 @ 2:21 pm

     I made the Pho soup and my family loved It !! I recently moved from California to Germany and have not found any good Pho restaurants here in Germany. We are so happy my family especially my German husband to have this recipe. It was absolutely YUMMI !

     Thank you so much for posting your recipes online it was fantastic.
     Nicole Kretz

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     Ling — 11/22/09 @ 6:27 pm

     I completely agree with you! I am such a purist with my pho. I want to appreciate it the way it was made, that’s how you know you have a good recipe or chef=) My husband on the other hand has this ritual where he takes longer to add ingredients than to eat it, lol.

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     Linda — 11/23/09 @ 7:03 pm

     The way you describe stuff is soo fun! The pho is gonna be delicious because i’m making it now! I am adding meatballs, and tend ant.

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     esther — 12/2/09 @ 8:37 pm

     I was looking up a veg version and wanted to ensure closeness in technique to the beefy one; I found your explanation of the step-by-step technique really useful! Thanks for demystifying this! (veg pho rocks, too, btw!)

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     Jay — 12/4/09 @ 9:47 pm

     When it comes to finding the right beef, I have found if you go to an Asian market, they will sell the flank steak and other types beef sliced very thin already. Tripe and other hard to find product will be there too.

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     Pho (using 7-quart Slow Cooker Machine) — 12/9/09 @ 12:47 am

     Soak 3-4 lb oxtail with salt water for 2 hrs. Clean bones well and placed in slow cooker machine (I used a 7 quart slow cooker machine). Bake 1 onion and ginger in oven. Remove from oven, sliced ginger, and placed onion and ginger in slow cooker machine. From the oven, cook water in another pot. After it boil, pour in slow cooker machine. Set high for 6 hours. Go to work, school, sleep, or wherever.

     Now just add seasoning. The soup base is very clear and taste way better than restaurant. No need to be around the kitchen. Good luck.

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     Bob T — 12/14/09 @ 6:13 pm

     I never laughed so much reading a recipe, as that for your pho! “Damned scumbag!” Oh my goodness, you made reading this so much fun, that what started out as a half-hearted attempt (the soup I’ve tasted from Paris to Flushing has been so outstanding) to one giving my best effort! Wish me luck, and no matter what, I’ve really enjoyed your site. Thanks again!

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     Dennis Meissner — 12/14/09 @ 9:12 pm

     I made the ‘Pho-Shizzle, My Bowl-o Noozle!!’ the other day. It turned out terrific! Our VN exchange student was gone that day so I had him try it when he returned home. He said it was better than his own mother’s. Ok, probalby best for him not to tell her that. Much thanks!

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     Tom — 12/19/09 @ 9:04 pm

     I’ve have Pho on several occasions, but this is the first time I’ve made it. I followed your recipe, and it turned out great. This will be my go to recipe the next time I have a craving for pho.

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     Kate — 12/24/09 @ 9:29 pm

     Amazing recipe! I’ve started substituting a fresh pineapple instead of sugar in the stock. Acid helps tenderize – along with the sweetness.

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     Michelle — 12/29/09 @ 3:24 pm

     Great Recipe. I made pho for 10 of my friends and they all agree that this pho recipe is better than some of the pho restaurants they’ve tried….and we’re from northern va! so that says A LOT.

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     Kelly White — 1/10/10 @ 4:41 pm

     We decided we needed to get our Pho on… so we went to our local Ranch 99 (The power of Ranch 99 is amazing!!). As we were searching for the Pho spice pack (they didn’t have the one this recipe mentions) we moved down the aisle to find yellow sugar when we ran into another caucasian couple asking an employee questions about spice packets for Pho. “So are you guys making Pho too?!” They said, “YES!” I asked, “Where did you get your recipe from?” They replied, “Steamy Kitchen!” You my dear, are everywhere! We were in Cupertino, CA.

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     Eufronio Taduran — 1/12/10 @ 12:27 pm

     .. anyone working in the kitchen of PHO HOA in El Cajon Blvd. San Diego? Dude.. share us the secret of your broth! You have the best pho soup broth, the bench mark that I compare with of all the phos I’ve had!

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     Naomi — 1/13/10 @ 9:17 pm

     April Roberts: that’s tripe! Cow intestines. I’ve never tried it in Pho but I go all the time with my friends and they love it. Maybe I would have tried it if I didn’t know what it was…

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     Shirley T — 1/16/10 @ 6:10 pm

     SteamyKitchen, Thanks for sharing the pho recipe and it works great at my kitchen too.
     Check out here: http://www.mywisewife.com/home-kitchen-recipe-vietnamese-noodle-soup-pho-with-pork-balls-and-spare-ribs.html

     Otherwise, I wouldn’t know what to do with the pho spices I bought. Many thanks again!

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     Bunnee — 1/20/10 @ 12:18 am

     Thank you so much for posting this online! This saves me a trip from visiting the local Pho restaurants on a daily basis b/c I love eating this so much! now I can just make my own–all with organic ingredients….b/c who KNOWS where those mom and pop vietnamese restaurants get their beef to make the broth!!! Now I can avoid the restaurant staff more frequently b/c as anyone who patronizes vietnamese restaurants know, the service is always poor but the food is always cheap and delicious!

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     Bunnee — 1/20/10 @ 12:33 am

     OMG…just checked your bio on this blog. You are like a asian Rachel Ray but ONLY BETTER b/c you KNOW asian food and I feel like Ms. Ray just does goopy generic foods…. Your technique on the detail, say for example on this pho dish, has the same level of detail that I see on sites like Martha Stewart, which I highly respect. I would compare you to Martha Stewart as far as technique and good food goes but your blog on this recipe is too happy (and not uptight) to be 100% Marthat Stewart!! Maybe now you can search out more fantastic asian foods…like some authentic Thai or Asian Indian food….so I will definitely be returning here to see what other great asian recipes you have! =)

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     Eleanor Hoh(wokstar) — 1/20/10 @ 11:46 am

     Your beef pho came top when I searched and I understand WHY, wonderful post with the step-by-step and GORGEOUS photos! Love “scumbag strainer” idea, very funny. Well, I have to sub a lot with this, don’t have half of stuff. Your handwriting is so artistic.
     Thanks Eleanor! jaden

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     Eleanor Hoh(wokstar) — 1/21/10 @ 10:28 pm

     My beef pho must have turned out O.K. cause hubz kept saying, “umm, delicious, very good.” Very pleased with my first attempt. Your instructions were very helpful, I could decide what I wanted to leave in or take out cause I understood WHY, always a good thing. Thnx for guidance.

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     Pelicano — 1/28/10 @ 5:27 pm

     Hi! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post; it’s really marvelous of you to display your efforts here and share!

     But I have a question: in addition to the simmered spices that you mention, i was instructed by one cook many years ago to also include sliced betel-nut. Have you ever heard of using this ingredient in pho? I, myself, have yet to see a printed recipe that calls for it, although that could be because it is sometimes difficult to find here in the states…or it could have been her personal twist- I have no clue!

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — January 28th, 2010 @ 5:45 pm

       I think it’s a personal twist- I haven’t seen a pho recipe that called for betel nut

       • 

         Pelicano replied: — January 28th, 2010 @ 7:54 pm

         Here’s a chuckle: I did some searching and found absolutely nothing that indicates betel-nuts should ever be included in pho bo (short of beef wrapped in betel-leaves), but…I think I solved the mystery! I found there are some who add grated or sliced nutmeg to pho!
         So…either I misunderstood, or the lady at the shop confused the English name for these with that of betel-nut.

       • 

         simon replied: — April 27th, 2010 @ 6:19 pm

         I suspect, Pelicano, that the cook of years past whom you referred to, really meant Cardamon pods or seeds as these do look somewhat like betel nuts. I think this is a very likely scenario…?

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     joyce w — 2/10/10 @ 9:06 pm

     my broth turned out to greasy. i used all beef bones and skimmed during simmering. any suggestions what went wrong?

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — February 10th, 2010 @ 10:18 pm

       Hi Joyce,
       Did you pre-boil the bones? Did you follow the directions exactly? Hard to tell you an answer without seeing photos or knowing what you changed in the recipe.

       • 

         joyce w replied: — February 11th, 2010 @ 5:56 pm

         i preboiled the bones for 10 min. as stated and used the suggested bones. i did not remove the extra bits attached to them. could that have something to do with it or maybe i simmered it to high? i followed the recipe exactly, i even looked it over and over to make sure i didn’t overlook something.

         • 

           SteamyKitchen replied: — April 17th, 2010 @ 8:22 am

           Found the solution! See above update inside the post – it’s in bold and red.

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     Doyle Perry — 2/15/10 @ 10:47 pm

     I am a caucasion and a strict vegetarian. My wife is Chinese-Vietnamese and loves Pho. I won’t go to a Pho restaurant because apparently the very nature of Pho is that it contains animal flesh. My wife knows how to make it, but, won’t bother, because I won’t eat it. Are there any recipes for Pho which can give the same flavor without animal flesh?

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — February 15th, 2010 @ 11:08 pm

       Use a vegetable broth but with the same charred ginger/onion and spice packet.

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     hjk — 2/15/10 @ 11:12 pm

     I’ve tried this recipe twice and I just can’t seem to get it right. The first time I used some frozen assorted beef bones from my Asian market and the broth came out very dark and sick looking. I’m pretty sure they were the wrong kind of bones because they didn’t have much marrow and there were not as many leg/knuckle bones as the others. The broth tasted very bland which was surprising as it smelled very nice while it was cooking. I figured the reason for the blandness was the wrong type of bone, so today I purchased some “beef marrow bones for broth” from a chain grocery store that appeared to have a lot of marrow and appeared to be leg bones though they weren’t labeled as such. This time around the broth came out looking more like how I’m used to seeing it in restaurants and when my aunt makes it, but the taste was still very bland and watery. I had the broth simmering VERY low but I thought that as long as there were still small bubbles going it should be fine. I used regular sugar (2 tbsp.) because I couldn’t find rock sugar and I didn’t add any of the optional sliced beef to the broth to simmer both times. I was skimming oil and filmy residue off of the top of the broth every so often so I don’t think that was a problem, it just didn’t seem like there was that powerful beef flavor in the broth like I am used to. I’ve never made a broth like this before, any idea what I could be doing wrong?

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — February 15th, 2010 @ 11:38 pm

       @hjk You should try following my recipe as-is first before making variations. It’s really hard to help you if there are so many variables! Bland stock may mean a) not enough bones b) bad quality bones. Next time, add a tablespoon of fish sauce to see if the flavor wakes up!

       also a note to @hjk and @joyce the quality of your stock all depends on the quality of what you start with – the bones. And that’s try of any soup/stock/broth recipe. Remember that soup is just bones and/or meat plus water. So if your soup is greasy, and you didn’t add any grease…then it must have come from one of your ingredients.

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     Lucy — 2/15/10 @ 11:40 pm

     Thanks Steamy Kitchen for this recipe. When I was growing up, my Dad used to make pho every weekend. We were so spoiled! I haven’t had Dad’s pho in years and made this recipe for my family this past weekend and fell in love with pho all over again. I even called my Dad to tell him!

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     hjk — 2/16/10 @ 1:45 am

     I noticed that the marrow was not all dissolved out of the beef bones, there was still some in there, perhaps a longer simmer would give my broth more flavor and help bring that marrow out?

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     JPM — 2/22/10 @ 11:12 am

     I live in Northern Virginia, They have a huge Vietnamese-American shopping center. I think They have the best Pho-Vietnamese food I’ve ever had. It’sa in Falls Chhurch,Va. And you have to try each and every restaurant in there.

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     keith — 2/23/10 @ 1:56 am

     Just wanted you to know that I’ve made this recipe three times, the last time I used a roast beef (not flank steak) that was leftover and all the juices from it for the broth, sans the fat which I peeled off the top. It really tasted very close to the original. Also, made my own home-made rice noodles from scratch with a steamer, it was pure heaven. Thanks so much for posting this recipe and making feel so easy to accomplish!

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     Sarah — 2/26/10 @ 11:02 am

     Hi!
     I have made the beef pho but I have not tried the chicken….my family absolutely loved the beef, especially with the fresh limes and herbs and bean sprouts….I am going to try your chicken recipe….thanks for posting it!

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     Michael — 2/27/10 @ 1:53 am

     I’ve made this recipe a few times and in order for me to make it work was to finely strain the broth with a coliander lined with paper towels. Otherwise it will come out greasy. The paper towels will soak up the excess grease and you will have a very clear broth. After that it’s very very good!!!

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — April 17th, 2010 @ 8:24 am

       Michael – I found the problem of the fattiness of broth! And of course I have a solution – see above update inside the post – bold and red text.

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     Nan Walden — 3/6/10 @ 11:53 pm

     We have tried this recipe for the first time today, it smeels really good but tastes pretty plain. We visited Ho Chi Minh city in Jan and want to get the same flavour we tasted there! Oh well we will keep trying.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — March 7th, 2010 @ 9:32 am

       If the broth tastes bland, add another 2 teaspoons of fish sauce! That’s how to adjust the flavor of pho.

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     Lisa — 3/7/10 @ 9:57 pm

     I’m almost done with the simmering and heading towards preparing the Pho to eat. However, the liquid level in my pot keeps getting quite low, so I’ve added about two additional quarts of water during the simmering process. Is this supposed to happen, or have I been cooking the broth at too high of a temp?

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — March 7th, 2010 @ 10:57 pm

       everyone’s stove is different – your’s might run hotter. sounds like you’re almost finished w/the simmering so– just stop and serve!

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     Lisa — 3/8/10 @ 1:12 am

     Thanks, I’ll try that next time. I’m a foreigner to the kitchen, so it’s all a learning process for me! Your descriptions, pictures and directions are PERFECT for a novice like myself. Thanks so much for all of your work.
     -Lisa

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     nancy — 3/9/10 @ 12:38 am

     When adding water for the stock, can i replace half of the water needed with chicken stock to give it more flavor???

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — March 9th, 2010 @ 11:01 am

       yes you can if you would like!

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     Evan — 3/9/10 @ 3:58 pm

     Thanks for this recipe. I made the broth last night and put in the fridge overnight. Before I did, I tasted and it still was missing something, though maybe it just needs the sugar/salt/fish sauce addition. Do you not typically leave the onions in (sliced up) or green onions, cilantro etc?

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — March 9th, 2010 @ 4:50 pm

       As I mentioned in the recipe- you have to adjust the broth with the fish sauce, sugar!

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     joe — 3/9/10 @ 6:08 pm

     Very good!

     • 

       ANjai replied: — March 9th, 2010 @ 6:10 pm

       I agree it tastes wonderful. How do I get rid of the oil in the soup?

       • 

         SteamyKitchen replied: — March 9th, 2010 @ 6:24 pm

         You can refrigerate the stock for a few hours and the fat will float up to the top and solidify. Otherwise you can just skim top with a large spoon.

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     Angela — 3/12/10 @ 8:15 am

     Can you use purchased beef stock and add the ginger and spices or will it not taste right? I would love to try this recipe but 3 or more hours seems so long!

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — March 12th, 2010 @ 10:23 am

       Well, for Chicken Pho, I would say, YES! But canned beef stock tastes like crap. Do you have a slow cooker? I have a recipe for Pho using slow cooker – there’s a link for it above!

     • 

       Josee replied: — April 3rd, 2010 @ 8:11 pm

       Hi Angela,

       I just made the Beef Pho Soup with a mixture of Knorr Beef Broth and Beef Bovril and it was excellent. I also added 3 garlic cloves halved. I didn’t put the spices in a bag – I just strained the broth once it was done. I cooked it for approximately 1 hour. I took out the cinnamon stick and half of a star anise after 15 minutes, because the tast can be overwhelming. When serving the soup, I added hoisin sauce, chili sauce and Kecap Manis (it’s like a thick sweet soya sauce) – Absolutement YUMMY…

       Hope this helps !!!

       Josée

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     luke — 3/17/10 @ 7:34 pm

     ahahaha… i just made it but for one mistake, 1/2 cup of fish sauce instead of 1/4, so i added a bit more beef and water to compensate, hope it’ll be alrite lol…

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     Maral — 3/23/10 @ 2:13 pm

     I made it!!!! Everyone at home said it was delicious.except for, I wasn’t hungry, cause I tasted it so many times during the preparation phase… lets hope tomorrow I can appreciate it more =)
     The best pho I ever tasted was in Seattle, @ Pho Than Brothers.I would have my pho there every other day.I tasted it @ many other places, it never tasted as great and addictive.
     Thanks for a great recipe, it was fun making it, and turned out pretty close to what I was used to.

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     Adrian — 3/30/10 @ 10:38 am

     This got made on Sunday! I have made your chicken pho recipe previously (well the recipe from your blog). Now, we loved that one. This beef one, we also liked, BUT (of course!) we found that the broth ended up very oily!

     I guess the leg bones I had contained too much fat, which melted into the broth? I will try to trim most fat off the bones next time, all I did this time was plunk them in, parboil, rinse, then boil broth.

     For our second meal, when the broth was in the fridge we skimmed off the solidified fat and that should be much better, less oily. Great flavours, though! I think we will add 2-3 dried chilies to the mesh spices next time, we love heat.

     Oh and we have tons of good pho restaurants here in Ottawa, Ontario (large Vietnamese population), so I am lucky enough to know a good pho when I taste one!

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     Ari — 3/31/10 @ 7:52 pm

     Is there a particular brand for pho spice mix you use??

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — April 1st, 2010 @ 2:31 am

       Hey Ari- I don’t remember what brand I use – each time I go to the Viet market, it’s a different brand!

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     The Georgia Yankee — 4/8/10 @ 12:09 pm

     Even with two Asian supermarkets not too far away, I can’t find any beef bones except neckbones. They’re very meaty, and so even without as much marrow I’m sure they’ll give a decent flavor, but still . . . Any suggestions on getting the leg and knuckle bones in whitebread Atlanta?

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     Todd — 4/14/10 @ 10:03 am

     Hello…

     I’m a giewlo or haole living in Asia for many years. I love ur suggestions on food. I’m trying them out will update u. Danke Danke.. Merci..Todd

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     Paul Shiels — 4/14/10 @ 4:03 pm

     Hi

     Just a note to say thank you. I made this soup for some friends and it went down and absolute treat. I have to confess myself even I really enjoyed it which for me is unusual when I cook.

     Well done

     Paul

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — April 14th, 2010 @ 4:17 pm

       Well done to YOU!

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     Eman — 4/14/10 @ 4:12 pm

     Just wanted to say thank you jaden… This soup turned out fantastic!!! Cheers!

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — April 14th, 2010 @ 4:17 pm

       Thank you Eman!

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     John — 4/17/10 @ 12:37 pm

     I’m currently making my 2nd pot of this, the first pot was absolutely divine. One difference I do is I toast the spices in a small skillet for couple of minutes before bagging them and putting them in the soup. Seems to bring out more flavor. I also put too many noodles in the bowls the first time, ended up with way too many noodles and not enough broth. The broth is what is so beautiful about this dish in my opinion. Thank you for such a fantastic recipe… I think my next Amazon order is going to be your book!

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     liya — 4/20/10 @ 1:17 am

     thanks for the lovely recipe!:) I really enjoyed it.

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     Yen Nguyen — 4/24/10 @ 4:56 am

     Thank you for the Pho recipe. I used to labor for hours to make Pho and it still doesn’t taste good. But I found this awesome new Pho-making kit called Happy Pho by this woman who used her grandparents’ recipe to make them. They come in a box with a spice packet and a pack of pho noodles for 2 people. I was skeptical at first, but they have a simple recipe at the back that takes 15 mins. All I need to get is some chicken or beef broth and fresh ingredients, and the Pho that came out is absolutely delicious! It’s also all natural and organic and made with brown rice. Check out their products here http://staranisefoods.com/our-products.aspx. I got them from Whole Foods in SoMa. But you can also get them from Amazon.com I think. I’ve also joined their facebook page http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Star-Anise-Foods/111447418877428 — and just went to their product demo for some free tasting of all flavors. Love it!

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     Dallas — 4/25/10 @ 11:42 am

     Thanks for recipe. We are very exicted to try it out. Do you know if the broth freezes/stores well? We would like to make a large quantity so we can have it whenever we like.

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     Dennis Reed — 5/12/10 @ 12:12 am

     actually the fat on top of the broth should be saved and used sparingly…maybe a spoonful or so in a bowl of pho! according a a Vietnamese expert (cookbook writer/blogger/etc.) this is classic deluxe pho because there is so little fat with so much broth. adds to taste and mouth feel. if you want to throw it out…send it to me!

     my site http://dmreed.com includes my Asian cookbook collection and some Asian recipes plus a lot of other stuff.

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     Sheryl Kennerly — 5/13/10 @ 7:36 am

     I’m just getting started on my first batch of Pho after gathering all the freshest authentic ingredients possible in a small town in Central Arkansas. I have a couple of questions before I get too far. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

     1. I couldn’t find yellow rock sugar, but I have Raw Sugar or Turbinado sugar. Can I substitute this for yellow rock sugar? At what proportions to the amount of yellow rocksugar called for here?
     2. I’ve read that Daikon can be substituted for the rock sugar. Daikon is a radish, would any kind of radish do or must it be Daikon?
     3. Is the Crock Pot method really as good as using stovetop? should I leave the crock pot uncovered just like on the stovetop?

     I’m par-boiling my bones now, so I’m kind of leary of what to do next…

     Any help????
     Thanks

     • 

       Phat Nguyen replied: — May 22nd, 2010 @ 1:35 am

       1. I couldn’t find yellow rock sugar, but I have Raw Sugar or Turbinado sugar. Can I substitute this for yellow rock sugar? At what proportions to the amount of yellow rocksugar called for here?

       Any sugar will do. The secret to Southeast Asian cooking is to balance the flavors (salty, sweet, hot, etc). You add to sugar to make the soup more flavorful and to make the salty taste less salty and more subtle. If you just add the salt and the fish sauce, it will just taste salty. But if you add a little bit of sugar, the balance will come out much better so that it’s less salty and it’s more complex. Just remember that you are cooking Pho — a salty soup, not making a dessert, so just a little bit of sugar (1 tsp) will do to make the salty flavor more complex. Do not put too much sugar in there so the soup has a sweet taste — it will destroy the soup.

       2. I’ve read that Daikon can be substituted for the rock sugar. Daikon is a radish, would any kind of radish do or must it be Daikon?

       I think the reason Daikon radish is mentioned is that it has the sweet taste so you can use it to balance out the salt & fish sauce. If the other kind of radish is not sweet, it doesn’t serve this purpose.

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     Stephanie Lacher — 5/16/10 @ 6:53 pm

     Thanks for the great instructions. I had a recipe I was using from Cooking Light mag but wanted one more authentic. My whole house smelled great all afternoon as I was cooking–this was a plus to me, I can’t vouch for my neighbors. It turned out great & I will definitely be making this again. Thanks

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     korey — 5/17/10 @ 8:13 pm

     i’ve made this 3 times, and i have to tell you its never strong enough.
     Ive played around with adding more spices and less water and it still came out abit weak. I’ve let it simmer longer on the stove too.
     Once i tryed double the spices and used the required amount of water called for and still weak.
     I can not seem to get the broth strong enough.
     i ended up buying a packet of instant pho, and adding it to the soup, then it turned out better.
     I did add the good bones that had marrow in it and used quite abit of oxtail too and still just can’t get that strong taste flavor.

     • 

       Phat Nguyen replied: — May 22nd, 2010 @ 1:44 am

       Try adding more fish sauce & salt. Fish sauce will add more flavor to the soup. However, you need to add both fish sauce and salt because Pho is not a seafood dish, if you add too much fish sauce, it will have a “seafood” taste which is wrong for Pho. Adding only salt will make the soup salty but it doesn’t have the “complex” salty flavor of fish sauce. That’s why you need to add both, but don’t make the soup too salty because it will be more difficult to correct later. If someone wants it more salty, he can add more fish sauce while eating it.

     • 

       Phat Nguyen replied: — May 22nd, 2010 @ 2:02 am

       By the way, your a packet of instant pho probably has a lot of MSG in it. That’s why it may taste more flavorful. A lot of restaurants use MSG to add the “sweet” flavor to the soup to make it more complex. But MSG is bad for your health. I prefer to use sugar to balance out the salty taste rather than MSG.

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     Sandra Bianco — 5/21/10 @ 11:30 pm

     Made this today. It turned out DELICIOUS! My mom would be so proud. Thank you for being so specific in your directions, it really helped me to make a nice clean broth with lots of flavor and not too oily.

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     JS — 6/3/10 @ 8:26 pm

     If you could post the nutrition info with your recipes it would be a wonderful addition.

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     Tiara Slack — 6/5/10 @ 7:02 pm

     WOW OH WOW!!! I LOOOOVE PHO! Ok so i was just telling myself that i was gonna make some because i seriously eat the stuff like three times a week and i though i was spending to much money on it but now it seems like i will save money just buying it from the resturant. I live in STL and we have alot of Vitanemese restuarnts but there are only two that i have come to love so much, I have tried alot of Pho and urs looks great but i dont think i have the time or money to make my own but i will deffinalty put it on my list of things to do Thanks for the insight.

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     Doggo Veet — 6/28/10 @ 2:52 pm

     Great recipe but WHY WOULD YOU DISCARD THE TALLOW?????
     Refrigerate, remove the tallow that solidifies on top to keep the broth from becoming to greasy, and then save it for frying, baking biscuits, or making pie crust.

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     Cathy Potak — 7/11/10 @ 10:17 pm

     Just wanted to say I made this tonight and it came out really good! Thanks for a great recipe! I liked how easy it was to follow. I think I simmered it a little hard at times, but it actually worked out because the broth became more concentrated (even though it was fairly cloudy). A little confused about “skimming”; there was really nothing to skim off the top while it was simmering, and then I just strained it through a mesh colander at the end. Also added a good amount extra of fish sauce/salt/sugar because I like a nice strong broth. So happy I have pho for the rest of the week!

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     Verdae — 7/14/10 @ 6:39 pm

     THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!
     I have searched in libraries, and everywhere else for the recipe for this soup!
     I have tried to get it right from memory and taste, but never could I get it to taste exactly right! Well you have done it! Thank you again, as I live in VERY rural North Carolina, having lived all over the world, and Vietnamese being my MOST favorite food, I am in heaven with this recipe!
     My the Gods smile upon you!

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     Ziggy — 7/22/10 @ 2:49 am

     I look forward to trying this recipe. The ingredient list and instructions are very thorough. I noticed that some people were having trouble boosting the flavor of their broth. Every chef I know roasts beef bones before boiling. This imparts a richer, nutty flavor to the marrow. Roast the beef bones at 400 degrees until they are nicely browned, at least 15 minutes. Do not allow them to char or burn.

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     Nick — 8/8/10 @ 2:55 pm

     you are my hero.

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     Carlos — 8/8/10 @ 4:41 pm

     Splendid! My city has a rapidly growing population of Vietnamese and I discovered Pho a few months ago. I have been lunching at my favorite restaurant at least once a week because I love the taste of Pho. After reading your article today (hilarious, by the way), I went to the nearest Vietnamese Grocery and purchased all my ingredients. My first home-made batch is simmering as we speak and my family keeps asking me what smells so good! Thank you for the easy to follow recipe. All the best! – C.

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     Scherie — 8/9/10 @ 2:18 pm

     Made this over the weekend and it was delicious. However, there is one correction to the recipe; I believe it should be *five* 5-star anise, not one 5-star anise.

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 9th, 2010 @ 3:35 pm

       ah, I see where you are confused. I changed it to 5 whole star anise.

       Usually, star anise is just called that, not “5-star anise”

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     Natalie — 8/11/10 @ 1:16 am

     I tried making this the other day and my broth tasted a little bland – not beefy at all. Could it be because I omitted the 1 lb of beef that cooks in the broth? Should I have maybe let it simmer for longer than 3 hours?

     Thanks!
     Natalie

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 11th, 2010 @ 8:18 am

       Yes to your first question

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     Alexis — 8/21/10 @ 3:23 pm

     I think i’ve got all the ingredients and garnish except one big part… the bones! I found some frozen soup bones at Harris Teeter in 2 pound bags, but they looked really….frozen. maybe frost bitten is a better term. Anyway, the 2 asian markets I went to didn’t have them and I also tried Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart said they haven’t had beef bones in a long time, so my search begins for a place in Raleigh, NC or the surrounding area for some beef bones. Once I find them, I’ll be ready to make this. I’m so excited because I really love Pho! Thanks for the guidance!

     • 

       SteamyKitchen replied: — August 22nd, 2010 @ 9:35 am

       Try a small local butcher for bones!

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     Kelli — 8/28/10 @ 10:25 pm

     I am so excited to make this recipe! It’s so much less expensive this way. Here in Spokane, WA, it’s tough to find good Pho, and tougher to find a bowl under $7 or $8.
     Today I went out and got all my ingredients (going to put together my own spice bag using the measurements listed!) and was so pleased to find that at the butcher counter of our local natural foods market that not only did they have bones (giant, amazing bones) but they were also willing to chop them down to usable size for me! I’m pregnant, and all I’ve been craving is Pho, so I can’t wait to try this.

     On another note, I have a loaf of No-Knead Bread rising for baking tomorrow… I love your recipes!

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     ifoodtrip.com — 8/31/10 @ 7:19 am

     Thank you very much for this recipe. I did the recipe with a bit of variations. Instead of parboiling the beef bones, I roasted them in the oven for around an hour, just like the classical french technique in making dark veal/beef bones. I used knee cap, knuckle and marrow bones. This process gives a darker color and intensifies the flavor of the broth and evaporates all the scum and impurities. I simmered the broth for 3 hours. I also realized that I have to make the broth slightly salty because the first time I poured a ladle of the broth, the noodles and raw beef absorbed a lot of flavor.

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     SteamyKitchen — 8/31/10 @ 9:37 am

     Fantastic tips!

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     ifoodtrip.com — 8/31/10 @ 1:21 pm

     ….sorry typo, i meant the classic French technique in making brown veal/beef stock.

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