HOME > RECIPES > MEAT > VIETNAMESE PHO BO

VIETNAMESE PHO BO

a mouthwatering beef soup with rice noodles, beansprouts and fresh herbs

Vietnamese food culture in a bowl

Today I’m going to explain to you how to prepare a mouthwatering Pho Bo, the traditional Vietnamese dish that appeared in the late 19th Century in Northern Vietnam. It’s supposed to be influenced by China for the noodles and spices, and by the French for the red meat. Some consider Pho to be derived from the word “pot au feu”, which is a traditional French soup.

The secret of its recipe? the broth!

Since it’s a quite long process to prepare it, I recommend to cook a big quantity that you can freeze for cooking later.

This recipe is part of my new masterclass series “Cooking at Home with Will Meyrick”.

Will Meyrick

portions

minutes

Beef Stock Ingredients

  • beef bones 2 kg
  • bone marrow 500 gr
  • pork bone 1 kg
  • water 5 ltr
  • roasted carrots 150 gr
  • roasted ginger 50 gr
  • roasted white onion 100 gr
  • roasted garlic 40 gr
  • black cardamom 1 pc
  • white pepper 1 tsp
  • star anise 1pc

Method

  1. Char the Carrots, garlic, onion, and ginger until you can peel the skin off the ginger.
  2. Soak the bones with a little salt and water for an hour to take out the blood
  3. Boil the bones up and when skum reaches the top disguard and rinse the bones again in cold water
  4. Add all the ingredients and slow cook for 12hrs
  5. Filter your broth.

To Complement

Serve on side (as your want):

  • Chilli vinegar
  • Chilli powder
  • Sriracha sauce
  • Fish sauce
  • Lime juice
  • Fresh herbs (Thai basil, Vietnamese mint, coriander leaves)

Step by step

  • Slice beef, and soak it in water and salt to drain the blood out
  • Soak the rice noodles for an hour in cold water
  • Blanch the rice noodles, then refresh in cold water
  • Give a slight cook to your beef slices by soaking them 4 or 5 times in boiling water
  • Blanch the bean sprouts, then reserve

Dressing:

  • In a bowl, serve the noodles, the beef, and pour a little bit of broth (350ml)
  • Top with onion, coriander, Thai basil, spring onion
    Add bean sprouts on the side
  • Sprinkle with some fried garlic and fried shallot
  • On the side, prepare all your complement seasoning.