Flavorful Homemade Pho Is a Snap With This Simple Shortcut

Traditional pho, or Vietnamese noodle soup, takes long hours of boiling beef bones to create a hearty, intense broth. But you can get the same rich flavor without slaving over the stove by using high-quality, pre-made bone broth.  

Beef Pho Recipe

Yield: 4 servings
Active Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour and 30 minutes

2 liters beef bone broth
1 heaped tablespoon coconut sugar
3-inch piece ginger, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons coriander
2 star anise
3 shallots, peeled
2 cloves garlic, sliced
4 cloves
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1/2 stick cinnamon
1 package brown rice noodles
1 1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 white onion, thinly sliced
3/4 pound thinly sliced beef fillet

To Serve
4 cups bean sprouts
2 bunches purple or Thai basil
1 bunch cilantro
2 chilis, sliced
Sriracha sauce
2 limes, sliced

Add the beef bone broth into a large pot over medium heat along with coconut sugar, ginger, coriander seeds, star anise, shallots, garlic, cloves, fish sauce, and cinnamon stick. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour, taking care to not boil the stock at any time. Skim the top of the stock during the process to help keep the stock clear. Strain and discard the solid ingredients and keep the stock warm and ready for the pho.

In a separate pot, boil water and cook brown rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and place to the side.

Heat broth to boiling, pour broth into serving bowls, and place in noodles, mushrooms, and onion slices. To serve, place in sliced beef and garnish with liberal amounts of bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, and chilis. Sriracha sauce can be served on the side. Place additional amounts of bean sprouts, herbs, chills, and sliced lime on the table for guests to add to their soup as needed.

NOTE: If you want to make your pho the authentic way, make sure your broth is at near boiling temperature to cook the raw beef as it’s put into the broth. Otherwise, quickly sear the beef in a hot pan with 1 tablespoon oil before adding to the broth.

Photo credit: Paul Delmont