• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • About
    • Events
    • Contact
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Gluten Free

    Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup

    Modified: Dec 18, 2016 · Published: Feb 10, 2013 by Ashley

    • Facebook
    • Email
    • Flip
    • Threads
    • Bluesky

    This post may contain affiliate links, which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

    Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup

    I was planning to make something for Chinese New Year today, but when my husband asked if I'd be willing to make Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup again, I couldn't think about anything else. This stuff is soooo good, and it's totally worth the hours it takes to cook it. This time around, I did without cooking beef in the broth as well, and just used some thin slices of grass-fed ribeye steak at the end. I love freezing some of the broth so we can have Pho another time without the big time investment!

    Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup

    Vietnamese Pho: Beef Noodle Soup
    Jaden's Steamy Kitchen (Adapted from Into the Vietnamese Kitchen)

    Servings: 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.

    Ingredients:

    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 ½ tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)
    ¼ 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
    ½ 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

    Directions:

    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 ½ hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you'll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 ½ 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.

    Big Flavors Rating: 5 Stars

    More Gluten Free

    • Two shallow bowls with rice and chicken paillards topped with tomato-dill relish.
      Dill Chicken Paillards with Tomato-Dill Relish
    • Serving dish of cilantro lime rice with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs alongside.
      Easy Cilantro Lime Rice
    • Spoon scooping up pico de gallo from a bowl.
      Classic Pico de Gallo AKA Salsa Fresca
    • Ladling homemade yogurt into a glass jar for storage.
      Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    No Comments

    Leave a comment Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Ashley and I’ve been writing about food & recipes here at Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen since 2006. I want to help you (yes, you!) gain confidence in the kitchen so you are excited to cook at home for yourself and your loved ones.

    More about me →

    Favorite Spring Recipes

    • Mayo-free Deviled Eggs
    • Middle Eastern Fattoush Salad with Homemade Pita Chips
    • Birthday Cake Confetti Pancakes with Sprinkles
    • Italian Cream Cheese and Ricotta Cheesecake
    • Garlicky Mushroom Ricotta Pizza with Wild Arugula + Aged Balsamic
    • Slow Cooker "Roasted" Beets
    • Honey Balsamic Roasted Carrots
    • Italian Ricotta Cookies
    • Rhubarb Custard Pie
    • Easy Instant Pot Herbed Potato Salad

    Mother's Day + Easter Brunch

    • Epic Brunch Board on a Budget
    • Baby Spinach and Cheddar Quiche Made with Fresh Spinach
    • Turkey Salad Tea Sandwiches with Dried Cherries
    • Great Grandma Maria Francesca Cardile's Italian Easter Cookies
    • Brie Waffle Bites
    • Challah French Toast
    • Creamsicle Smoothies
    • DM Bloody Mary
    • Turkey Scotch Eggs
    • The Herbalist

    Popular Now

    • Overhead view of spinach and cheddar quiche with forks.
      Baby Spinach and Cheddar Quiche Made with Fresh Spinach
    • Close up of a few cucumber slices topped with a spiced chickpea purée.
      Falafel-Spiced Cucumber Bites
    • Overhead shot of a plate with rectangles of white coconut jelly.
      Coconut Jelly
    • Falafel in pita bread with toppings served with yogurt-herb sauce.
      Falafel with Yogurt-Herb Sauce
    • Overhead view of assorted breakfast items displayed on a board.
      Epic Brunch Board on a Budget
    • No Mayo Deviled Eggs: Skip the mayo in this appetizer favorite - guaranteed to be a hit at any party!
      No Mayo Deviled Eggs

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Ashley
    • Press + Recognition
    • Events
    • Virtual Cooking Classes
    • Podcast
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign up to receive delicious recipes and exclusive content right to your inbox!

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no added cost to you.

    ©2006–2025  BIG FLAVORS FROM A TINY KITCHEN LLC | ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

    *Third-party advertisers may collect or use non-personally identifiable information to serve you more relevant ads.