How to Make Vietnamese Pho Soup

If there’s anything I love more in this world, it’s Pho. Pronounced “fuh,” this soup was first brought to my attention while in Plano, Texas. For those of you that know what Pho is, and are addicted to it just like me, you understand. For those of you that don’t know what it is, and have never had the pleasure of tasting the unique soup, you are missing out – and have also been hiding under a rock. Pho is not only popular in Texas, but also well known in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Here is my recipe on how to make your own Pho at home! Once you make it once, you won’t be scared to attempt it again, since it is a little intimidating at first to make with all the Asian and unusual ingredients. Here, I will explain where to find them and what they look like so you are not confused or lost. Good luck!

5 pounds of beef knuckle (This can be found in Asian markets, usually found frozen. Looks exactly like the knuckle of a big animal! Make sure the knuckle has meat on it.)

4 Pounds of Beef Oxtail (Again, found in Asian Markets. Looks like a long tail, chopped up. I put extra in my soup, because it brings such great flavor, and I also love the meat.)

1 White Daikon Radish (Asian market again, found near the cabbage. Looks like a big white horn. Sometime even has a little hair on it.)

2 Onions (Easy!)

2 Handfuls of Star Anise (Star shaped brown spices found in your local Asian market.)

1 Cinnamon Stick (Simple!)

2 Cloves (A spice found in American Market, very tiny bottle found in the spice aisle.)

2 Inch Ginger Root Slice (Found in Asian Market near the vegetables and onions, looks almost like a hand with a beige color.)

1 Tsp. Black Peppercorns (Basic!)

1 ½ Tbsp. Salt (May need more to taste after soup is almost done cooking.)

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1 ½ Tbsp. Fish Sauce (Also found in Asian Markets in a bottle, it’s a liquid.)

1 Whole Chicken (Chicken is completely optional, but I always use it in my Pho!)

The Toppings:

1-2 Packages of dried flat rice noodles (Found in an Asian Market, just look for “Rice Noodles”)

1 ½ Pound Frozen Beef Sirloin (Sometimes Asian Market already have this beef sliced thinly for you, buy that if you can. Sirloin is the best tasting for this soup.)

Siriracha Hot Sauce (Found in Asian Markets, a hot sauce in a bottle with a green cap and a rooster on the front.)

Hoisin Sauce (Found in an Asian Market where all the other sauces such as Oyster sauce is located.)

Onion Sliced Very Thing

Cilantro

Bean Sprouts

Mint/Thai Basil (Depending on your taste, I opt out of these.)

Chopped Green Onion

Now that you have conquered your search for all those ingredients, it’s time to whip up this one-of-a-kind authentic Vietnamese soup. The taste and aroma of this soup is unbelievable, and the time it takes to cook it is well worth it. Just to forewarn you, this soup needs to cook for at least eight hours. The longer the better, or else you will be drinking a water-tasting soup.

You will need a very big pot, if you can find an 8-10 quart pot, it would be perfect. Fill it a little more than ¾ full of water, because of the long cooking time for this soup, the water will evaporate and you do not want to have to add plain water to your flavored soup once it is cooking – or you will have to increase your cooking time.

First, you want to clean your bones. I simply rinse them with water, then let them soak in some vinegar (a natural cleaning agent) for about 10 minutes, and than rinse again to get the vinegar taste off of the bones, and soak once more in water for 10 minutes. Now, you want to add your beef knuckle and salt to the water and bring to a boil and cook for 2 hours. You will want to skim all the fat and dirt that rises to the top throughout this 2 hour process. Just before your two hours is up, you want to grill or broil your two onions and ginger over an open flame for about 5 minutes. This brings out the flavor and adds a great smell to the Pho. After the two hours is up, you will add the oxtail, daikon radish, ginger and onions.

You have two options when it comes to adding the next ingredients to the soup. Some people prefer to use cheese cloth to tie all the ingredients together, but I don’t because I fear trapping the flavors of the spices in the middle of the cheesecloth. I add everything in at once, all together. I do this because when I serve my soup, I strain everything before I add it to the bowls. So here we go, cheese cloth or no cheese cloth: (By the way, cheesecloth is found in your local grocery market where all the utensils and baking supplies are sold.)

Add star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and peppercorns. Now add your sugar and fish sauce. Heat on medium low for 3 hours, and then reduce to very low heat for four or five more hours or more. I usually start my Pho at about 7 or 8 at night, and let it cook until the morning. (I sleep downstairs and wake up every 2-3 hours to check on the soup – I know, I’m crazy. But that’s how much I love this soup!) The taste from me cooking it the regular 5-8 hour time, to the overnight cooking technique, really made a huge difference in the flavor of the Pho. When I only have about an hour left, I throw my chicken in, bring the soup to a boil again, and let my chicken cook and then remove it for the meat; this also adds some extra flavor into your Pho!

After your Pho is done cooking, add salt if you need it. (You shouldn’t need it if you cooked it long enough, though!) Remove all your spices, as much as you can, along with the meat and bones. Keep bones with meat in a separate bowl to add to the Pho soup. The spices can just be thrown away.

To serve your Pho, you will need a big bowl, chopsticks, and an Asian soup spoon. Bring a pot of water to a boil, and boil the noodles until they are soft, as direct on package, saving about 3-4 minutes of cooking time for in your soup. Slice your beef as thin as possible; the beef needs to be extremely thin, because it is placed over the noodles raw, along with the boiling broth which cooks the meat to tender. Serve with whatever toppings you like, don’t forget to add your oxtail and chicken to the soup, along with all the other great compliments to the Pho! Enjoy!