Beef pho is one of the truly epic Asian noodle soups. It’s a perfect balance of rice noodles, beef and a haunting broth. Magic in a bowl.
It’s no secret I have a thing for Asian soups. Look around this blog. I can’t help myself. If there was such a thing as Asian soups anonymous there would probably be an intervention in my future.
I don’t think I’m alone. You can’t go 500 feet where I live without running into a Vietnamese restaurant. And make no mistake. They all specialize in pho.
They have other things on the menu but the pho brings the people in. Brings me in anyway. And all my friends. Everyone I know really…
beef pho
Ingredients
Beef pho broth
- 6 cups chicken stock - no sodium
- 1 lb beef brisket
- 1 star anise
- 1 inch cinnamon stick
- 1 black cardamom
- 1/2 medium onion cut in half again
- 1 slice ginger about 1/4 inch thick
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1-2 tsp brown sugar - depending how sweet you like it
beef pho
- the pho broth
- the brisket sliced as thin as you can get it
- 6 oz thinly sliced beef - eye of the round - if you want the rare beef
- 8 oz rice noodles
- thai basil, culantro (that’s not cilantro), bean sprouts, green onion, sliced shallots, hoisin, srirachi to garnish
Instructions
Make the broth
- Pick a pot that will hold the beef brisket and stock that is small enough that you can submerge the beef while it simmers.
- Take a look at your brisket. Figure out which way the grain runs. You are going to need to know that when you slice it.
- Combine the chicken stock, beef brisket, star anise, cinnamon stick, black cardamom, onion, ginger, salt and fish sauce. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. At this point your broth should smell like pho. Remove the beef and strain the stock through a couple sheets of paper towel or some cheesecloth. This is important if you want a nice clear broth. Add the sugar.
- Chill the beef. Chill it well. An ice bath if you’re in a hurry. The fridge if you’re not.
Beef pho
- Soak your noodles in cold water for 30 minutes. Make sure there’s enough water to fully submerge them.
- Slice the chilled beef as thinly as you can. Slice it against the grain. You checked which way the grain runs, right?
- Heat up your pho broth. Taste it. It will need more salt. Use a mix of fish sauce and kosher salt. Creep up on it. Add about a tbsp of fish sauce. Then a 1/4 tsp of salt at a time until you hit the taste you want. It takes quite a bit.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Put the noodles in a strainer that will fit in the pot. Cook the noodles about 30 seconds. Try one. If it’s nicely chewy you are done. If not, cook the noodles another 30 seconds. It shouldn’t take more than a minute total.
- Put 1/4 of the noodles in each of two bowls. Toss in the brisket. Add the rest of the noodles. Put the sliced eye of the round on top of the noodles. Sprinkle with green onions and shallots.
- Pour the hot broth overtop everything. Serve with the rest of the garnishes.
Notes
Nutrition
Laal maas is a creamy, rich and spicy lamb curry from Rajasthan. If you’ve never heard of it, it’s time to fix that.
This is a homestyle curry. Not restaurant style. Slow cooking. Gentle simmering. Tender, flavourful lamb. And a crazy delicious sauce.
I do a lot of restaurant style Indian recipes on this blog. But don’t think I don’t love home cooking. It’s not what you get from your local joint. This is what people cook at home. For family. For friends.
If you’ve been making restaurant style curries. And you like a spicy lamb curry. Then laal maas is something you need to try.
