Pho: a broth that must be clear, and beef cooked in the bowl
Vietnamese pho rests entirely on its broth, and that broth is judged on two qualities at once: clarity and depth, which usually work against each other. Clarity comes from blanching the bones before the real cooking — five minutes in boiling water draws out the scum that would otherwise cloud the whole pot. Depth comes from charred onion and ginger and toasted warm spices. The fillet is never cooked: raw slices go into the bowl and are set by boiling broth poured over them.
Your own work in that: 1 h 30 min.
- Broth 330 min
- Bones, onion and spices 45 min
- Serving 45 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneBlanch the bones
Cover the bones with cold water, bring to the boil (about 10 minutes) and cook 5 minutes hard. The water turns grey and full of scum. Drain everything, throw the water away and rinse the bones thoroughly under running water, and the pot too. This is the surest route to a genuinely clear broth.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef marrow bones · 500 g beef brisket · 4000 ml water · 2 pcs onions · 80 g fresh ginger · 4 tbsp fish sauce · 1 tbsp brown sugar · 2 tsp salt
TipIt sounds wasteful, but that first water holds mostly coagulated protein and blood. You lose very little, and without this step the pho usually comes out cloudy however long you skim it.
Five minutes, then the water down the sinkChar the onion and ginger
Halve the onions and crush the ginger with the flat of a knife. Lay them cut side down on a dry pan and char 10 minutes over high heat, until the surface is black. That smoke is one of the two pillars of pho's flavour.
TipDon't be afraid of the black. Charring onion and ginger is a basic technique of Vietnamese cooking — the caramelised sugars give the broth sweetness and smoky depth, and the burnt skin stays behind in the sieve anyway.
Cut side down, until blackToast the spices
Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and peppercorns in a dry pan for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Tie them in muslin or put them in a tea infuser — after five hours they have to come out anyway, and fishing for cloves in a pot is no fun.
Ingredients: 5 pcs star anise · 1 pcs cinnamon stick · 5 pcs cloves · 1 tbsp coriander seeds · 1 tsp peppercorns
Two minutes, then into a muslin bagSimmer the broth five hours
Cover the rinsed bones with 4 litres of cold water, add the charred onion, ginger, the spice bag and the brisket, if using. Bring to the boil, immediately reduce to a bare tremble and cook 5 hours uncovered, skimming fat from the surface. Lift the brisket out after about 2½ hours, once tender, cool it and slice thinly for the bowls. The broth must never bubble, not for a moment.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef marrow bones · 500 g beef brisket · 4000 ml water · 2 pcs onions · 80 g fresh ginger · 4 tbsp fish sauce · 1 tbsp brown sugar · 2 tsp salt
TipBubbling emulsifies the fat into the broth and clouds it irreversibly. The surface should only shimmer — if you can see bubbles, the heat is too high.
Five hours at a bare trembleStrain and season
Strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with muslin. Season with fish sauce, sugar and salt — pho should taste frankly salty and slightly sweet, because noodles and sprouts will dilute it in the bowl. Keep the broth boiling until serving. Meanwhile (about 20 minutes) firm up the fillet in the freezer.
Ingredients: 1500 g beef marrow bones · 500 g beef brisket · 4000 ml water · 2 pcs onions · 80 g fresh ginger · 4 tbsp fish sauce · 1 tbsp brown sugar · 2 tsp salt
Build the bowls and pour
Cook the noodles to the packet and divide them between bowls. Lay raw, very thinly sliced fillet (and the brisket, if you cooked it) on top with the spring onion and coriander. Pour over boiling broth — the beef sets within seconds and stays pink. Serve the sprouts, lime and chilli separately.
Ingredients: 300 g flat rice noodles · 300 g beef fillet · 4 pcs spring onions · 1 bunch fresh coriander · 200 g mung bean sprouts · 2 pcs limes · 2 pcs red chillies
TipPartly frozen fillet cuts into 2 mm slices with an ordinary, well-sharpened knife. Slice across the grain so the slices stay tender.
Raw beef, boiling broth, a matter of seconds
Before you start
Where to get the bones
Ask a butcher for marrow bones and knuckles — the first bring fat and flavour, the second collagen that gives the broth body. Half and half is the ideal ratio.
The plate of extras
In southern Vietnam pho arrives with a separate plate: sprouts, lime, chilli, Thai basil, hoisin and sriracha. Everyone seasons their own bowl after the first sip — part of the ritual, not decoration.
Broth to keep
The broth keeps 4 days in the fridge and up to six months frozen. Freeze it in 500 ml portions — all the work is in the broth, so the frozen portions make fast suppers later.
Chicken pho
The same technique with a whole chicken instead of beef bones, only the time drops to 90 minutes. The spices stay the same, and the meat is lifted out and shredded.
