Two Ways to Have Your Pho

Publish date: 2024-07-20

(Vietnamese Beef

and Noodle Soup)

8 servings

Pho, food of street vendors and home cooks, is not subject to any single formula. Recipes can be closely guarded family secrets. This one suits me, but feel free to adjust it to your taste.

The multifaceted presentation of pho makes it great for entertaining. The preferred method of eating pho is to use chopsticks in one hand, spoon in the other. If desired, dab chili and hoisin sauce on the noodles and meat as they make your way to your mouth. Slurp as necessary.

For a beefier-tasting broth, add more beef or bones. You can also do what some Vietnamese cooks do: Add monosodium glutamate, or MSG. A key component of pho found in Vietnamese kitchens and restaurants, MSG gives a vibrant, savory lift to the flavor. If using MSG, add 11/2 teaspoons at the same time you add the fish sauce. MSG is available on most supermarket shelves as Accent or in small bags at Asian groceries (see box at top right).

For easy retrieval from the broth, the spices can be tied in cheesecloth or tucked inside a tea ball infuser. You may check your local Vietnamese grocery for a spice sachet made specifically for pho that contains spices already toasted and ground into powder.

For the broth:

4 pounds beef soup bones (preferably shin and knuckle bones, with some meat on them)

8 ounces beef tendon (optional)

2-pound piece of beef brisket or 4 pounds beef shank, beef back ribs or oxtails

11/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste

4-inch piece ginger root (about 4 ounces), unpeeled, thickly sliced

2 medium yellow onions, peeled and quartered

1 package pho spice mixture OR

6 whole star anise, 3 sticks cinnamon, 1 tablespoon cardamom pods, 1 tablespoon black peppercorns and 8 whole cloves

1 small piece rock sugar* (may substitute 2 teaspoons palm sugar or light brown sugar)

2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)

For the assembled pho:

1 pound (16 ounces) rice noodles

2 pounds raw beef (such as top round, flank steak, chuck, brisket) OR reserved brisket from the broth

Cooked tendon (optional; reserved from broth)

1 medium yellow onion, peeled

1 bunch scallions (green parts only), thinly sliced on a diagonal

About 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves

Plate of Thai basil sprigs

Plate of fresh bean sprouts

Plate of sliced green chili peppers (jalapeno or serrano)

Red chili sauce (such as Tuong Ot Sriracha)

Hoisin sauce

For the broth: Place beef bones in a large, heavy pot or stock pot. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes; a bubbly gray scum should form on top of the liquid. Drain the water, rinse the bones in the kitchen sink and clean the pot. (This removes the loose protein that normally would collect on the surface of the broth as scum.)

Return the bones to the pot, along with the tendon, if using, and brisket. Add 4 quarts (16 cups) of water and salt and bring almost to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover partially and simmer actively, skimming away any scum that forms. Simmer the stock for a total of 6 to 7 hours or overnight. If using brisket, remove it after it is cooked through, about 11/2 hours. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bones and tendon, if using; reserve the tendon.

Meanwhile, over a flame or in a dry skillet, char the ginger and onions lightly on all sides. (May instead roast the ginger and onions on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven for 30 minutes.) After the broth has simmered for 6 or 7 hours, add the ginger and onion and continue to simmer until the broth is well flavored and amber-colored, about 1 more hour.

Strain the broth through cheesecloth or a fine sieve, pressing gently on the onion to remove any juices. Discard the solids. Measure broth and add water as needed to bring total amount of liquid to16 cups.

If using a mix of loose spices, toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic to release their flavorful essential oils. Pour the strained broth into a pot and bring to a boil. Stir in the rock sugar and fish sauce. Add the spices, wrapped inside cheesecloth or tucked inside a tea infuser ball if desired, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or longer if a stronger star anise presence is desired. (Keep in mind that too much of the spice can be overpowering.) Remove and discard the spices. For maximum flavor, let the soup rest an hour or so before serving, or make it a day ahead so the flavors have a chance to meld. (May refrigerate for up to several days. Any fat in the broth will congeal on the surface and can be spooned away, but leave some for flavor.)

For the assembled pho: Preheat large, deep serving bowls in a 200-degree oven.

Bring the broth to a boil and let it boil vigorously.

If using dried rice noodles, place them in a large bowl or deep casserole and cover with boiling water. As the noodles wilt, press them into the hot water and set aside until softened completely. Drain and set aside.

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You will need either raw beef or the brisket reserved from the broth. If using raw beef, freeze it for at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours before slicing. (Partially frozen meat is easier to slice.) Slice the raw beef very thinly so that it will cook through in the broth. If using the brisket or tendon, thinly slice it.

Halve the onion then thinly slice it into moon-shaped wedges.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place a portion of the cooked or fresh noodles in a large strainer and dip them into the boiling water until heated through, 5 to 10 seconds. Transfer the noodles to a heated bowl and repeat with the remaining noodles.

Place some sliced beef and onion into each bowl and ladle about 2 cups of hot broth over the noodles. If the beef is raw, it should cook through fairly quickly. Add some of the scallions, cilantro and basil. Repeat the process for each bowl. Pass the bowls to individual guests and allow them to add the remaining bean sprouts, chili peppers and condiments to taste.

Recipe tested by Renee Schettler; e-mail questions to food@washpost.com

Ingredients too variable for meaningful analysis.

Le Thiep's Pho Ga

(Chicken Pho)

8 servings

Though less widely consumed in its native Vietnam than its beefy cousin, chicken pho is a wonderfully light soup infused with the same ginger, cinnamon and star anise flavors. This pho has the added benefit of being on the table less than two hours after you start cooking.

If you wish to use MSG to accentuate the chicken flavor, add 11/2 teaspoons to the broth when you add the salt.

For the broth:

4-inch piece ginger root, unpeeled

14 medium shallots, peeled

11/2 teaspoons salt

Two 3-pound chickens (preferably free-range for optimal flavor)

3 whole scallions

5 star anise

2 cinnamon sticks

1-ounce piece Chinese rock sugar (may substitute 2 teaspoons palm or light brown sugar)

For the assembled pho:

1 pound dried or fresh rice noodles

A bowl of cilantro leaves

A bowl of finely chopped scallions

Plate of Thai basil sprigs

Plate of fresh bean sprouts

Plate of thinly sliced green chili peppers (jalapeno)

Red chili sauce (such as Tuong Ot Sriracha)

A pepper mill

For the broth: In a 425-degree oven, roast the ginger and shallots until slightly softened and lightly browned, about 30 minutes for the shallots and about 45 minutes for the ginger.

Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 4 quarts (16 cups) of water to a boil. Take note of the water level. Season with salt.

Wash the chickens thoroughly under cold water, removing any packages of gizzards from the cavity and any excess fat from near the cavity opening. Gently lower the chickens into the boiling water. Cook at a light boil for 20 minutes, removing any scum that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat, cover and set aside for another 10 minutes to allow the chickens to poach in the hot liquid. Using a sturdy wooden spoon inserted into the cavity, lift the chickens one at a time, tip them to drain any liquid and transfer to a cutting board to cool.

Return the pot to medium-high heat and return the broth to a boil. Replenish any lost liquid that evaporated with boiling water. (There should be a rim of fat and scum where the original water line was.) Wrap the ginger and shallots in cheesecloth, if desired. Add the ginger, shallots and scallions to the broth, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 25 minutes.

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the star anise and cinnamon until browned but not burned. If desired, wrap the cinnamon and star anise in cheesecloth or tuck inside a tea infuser. Add the spices and sugar to the broth and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Strain the broth through cheesecloth or a fine sieve, pressing gently on the shallots to remove any juices. Discard the solids. Measure broth and add water as needed to bring total amount of liquid to 16 cups.

For maximum flavor, let the soup rest an hour or so before serving, or make it a day ahead so the flavors have a chance to meld. (May refrigerate for up to several days. Any fat in the broth will congeal on the surface and can be spooned away, but leave some for flavor and texture.)

Carve the chicken into pieces and use your fingers or a knife to remove the meat from the bones. Cut the meat into bite-size pieces, leaving skin intact if desired.

For the assembled pho: Preheat large, deep serving bowls in a 200-degree oven.

Bring the broth to a boil.

If using dried rice noodles, place them in a large bowl or deep casserole and cover with boiling water. As the noodles wilt, press them into the hot water until softened completely. Drain and set aside.

Place some chicken, cilantro and scallions in each bowl. Ladle about 2 cups of hot broth over everything. Repeat the process for each bowl.

Pass the bowls to individual guests and allow them to add the remaining basil, bean sprouts, chili peppers and condiments to taste.

Recipe tested by Renee Schettler; e-mail questions to food@washpost.com

Ingredients too variable for meaningful analysis.

Pho 75 restaurateur Le Thiep with his chicken pho.

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Two Ways to Have Your Pho