Name: Authentic Pho
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 8 h
Total time: 9 h 20 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 pounds beef soup bones; 1 onion, unpeeled and cut in half; 5 slices fresh ginger; 1 tablespoon salt; 2 pods star anise; 2 ½ tablespoons fish sauce; 4 quarts water; 1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles; 1 ½ pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced; ½ cup chopped cilantro; 1 tablespoon chopped green onion; 1 ½ cups bean sprouts; 1 bunch Thai basil; 1 lime, cut into 4 wedges; ¼ cup hoisin sauce; ¼ cup chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha®)

This authentic pho isn't quick, but it is delicious. The key is in the broth, which gets simmered for at least 6 hours.

Authentic Pho

beef soup bones

onion,

ginger

salt

star anise

fish sauce

water

rice noodles

beef top sirloin, thinly sliced

cilantro

green onion

bean sprouts

Thai basil

lime,

hoisin sauce

chile-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha®)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).


Place beef bones on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until browned, about 1 hour.


Place onion on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until blackened and soft, about 45 minutes.


Place bones, onion, ginger, salt, star anise, and fish sauce in a large stockpot and cover with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for 6 to 10 hours. Strain the broth into a saucepan and set aside.


Place rice noodles in large bowl filled with room temperature water and allow to soak for 1 hour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and after the noodles have soaked, place them in the boiling water for 1 minute. Bring stock to a simmer.


Divide noodles among 4 serving bowls; top with sirloin, cilantro, and green onion. Pour hot broth over the top. Stir and let sit until the beef is partially cooked and no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, hoisin sauce, and chile-garlic sauce on the side.


This is pretty authentic.  I've seen a few "Viet" recipes submitted here which use ingredients that don't belong but I don't fault them since they are probably not Viet.  The only thing this is missing is a few spices which are commonly used in pho but it is all dependent on your taste.  Typically cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and probably a few others I can't remember now are also used.  I've made pho for years and have yet to come up with my perfect spice ratio.  It makes a big difference :)

Another reviewer mentioned that their pot came out too oily.  There a few ways to remove it.  You can increase your knucklebone to marrow bone ratio (more knuckle).  Or you can get a very fine mesh strainer sold at most Asian grocery stores and when you skim the scum out it is also fine enough to remove oil or just use a spoon to remove.  Another method is to let the pot cool, then put it in the refrigerator for a few hours.  The oils will harden and it can then be removed before you warm up the pot again.  The last thing is that you can probably get away with simmering for 3-4 hours but of course longer is better and you'll have to add more spices/salt to make up for it.  He simmers for a super long time which is why he used less spices.

Great easy recipe. As is, it only deserves 4 stars because of some small things missing. I have an asian market close by where they sell EVERYTHING you need to cook asian. If you have access to one of these markets, you can modify this recipe for under 10$ and it will make it a perfect 5 star. This recipe lacked 2 major things, salt and flavour. As written, it makes a great soup base but even 8 hours into cooking, the broth is tasteless. In order to make it better, i replaced the salt with dried pho broth mix, it basically condensed broth with salt. It not only adds the precious saltyness this recipe needs but also makes the broth tastier. I added about 5 tablespoons for the above recipe. Also, you can buy ready-made pho chinese spices. It's a small pouch full of spiced that will compliment any pho recipe, basically star anise, dried coriander and fennel seeds, whole shichuan peppercorn, cinnamon and cloves. This is a must have, a small packet costs less than 2$ and add so much personality to the broth. I also love my pho with beef tendon, so I blanched tendon right before starting the broth and added it to the broth mix for the full 8-10 hours of cooking time. This maked the tendon as tender as jello and goes well with the beef or chicken.

This is definitely, as the name implies, authentic tasting! I followed the recipe exactly, and it worked out well, with the exception that I would add less salt initially and let everyone taste and add as they desire, since most fish sauce and other add-ins are also salty. One caveat--the broth ends up with quite a bit of fat in it from the marrow in the bones. (This, even though I used grass-fed beef, which is generally leaner). In fact, when you eat the broth, a thin coating of fat stays on your lips. Great, if you are a poor peasant in Vietnam. Not so great for me, I thought. Simple solution-- make the recipe a day ahead, and chill the broth after straining. Then skim the hardened fat off the broth before reheating and proceeding with the recipe. This recipe is a great one for older children to make, if nothing else, as a reminder of how many people in this world cannot afford to waste any part of an animal, including the bones. Also a lesson in respect for any animal that died to feed you i.e. don't waste it! Also a good introduction to ethnic cuisine, and they can leave out the veges if they choose.

I have made this recipe many times, and it is outstanding! Every winter I make this, and my mother and husband rave about how great it is. The first two times I made this I kept the recipe as is, but now I like to combine this recipe with the spices from a Pho recipe on the Serious Eats website. The spice mixture that I use is:  3 whole star anise pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, 4 cloves, 1 teaspoon coriander seeds. I place all of this into cheesecloth as I'm cooking the broth, and I let it simmer for a LONG time (sometimes overnight!). Absolutely amazing!

I agree with several of the other comments that it turned out a bit greasy, which, as another commentor pointed out, is easily resolved after the fact, but just be aware that if you don't want it greasy, you'll have to fix it. I also thought that for the amount of time you had to cook it, it didn't really have a ton of flavor, and I personally felt that it needed a lot more salt. My husband is a chef, however, and he absolutely loved it, so I've given it a 4/5. He also pointed out that I probably boiled it a bit too hard, which makes the broth cloudy. He said 'simmer it really low and don't stir it, and you'll have a nice, clear broth'. FYI. Anyway, in the end, once you add all the accoutrements, it's pretty darn tasty.

Made it exactly as written and it is wonderful!

Little late to the ballgame here, first post... but to those complaining about it coming out greasy/oily: when making a broth or stock, you should ideally skim the fat off the surface a couple times an hour with a ladle or large spoon to remove.  Great recipe, I didn't blacken the onion as I find it greatly reduces the flavor and added a stalk of bruised lemon grass for the last 30 minutes of simmer.  Delicious!

So Good! My boyfriend will drive 2 hours for good pho. I made this for Valentines and he actually said it was the best he'd ever had. He's a chef so if he says its good, then its really GOOD!

Very good, if you use beef ribs and beef broth gives great beefy flavor. I used some beef base for a little extra flavor then poured through cheese cloth to get the fat and bones. Added two teaspoons of garlic and Chinese five spice. Very clear broth with lots of flavor. Yummy!!!

this recipe did not work out for me. I baked the soup bones and then simmered per the recipe. The bones were fresh but the smell and taste were not like I've had in a restaurant.

See how to make authentic Vietnamese pho.

authentic pho

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total: 9 hours, 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Cost: $9.34 /serving

Author : Allrecipes

Ingredients

Instructions

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