It's so hard to get the flavor of pho broth just right. You're best off leaving it up the professional cooks at pho noodle shops. Don't even try. It takes so long to make the broth, anyway. It's more convenient to go out. I don't have the time. Ha! You're teaching non-Vietnamese people to make their own pho? That should be interesting...
Cooking is a skill and craft that just takes practice to master. I've never been one to be discouraged from tinkering in the kitchen. At the end of the day, it's just food. If you mess up, you can still eat whatever you made. It's not likely to harm you.
But there's something about pho. I often hear from young Viet people about how her or his mother, father, grandmother or grandfather says that there's no way to make a bowl of homemade pho that's as good as what you'd get out. Indeed, the fragrant noodle soup is practically Vietnam's national dish, but it's no State secret! I suspect that the elders themselves don't know how to make a good bowl at home so there isn't much wisdom to impart to the kid.
That, fortunately, is not how I was raised. My parents were determined to tease out the secrets and techniques for making all kinds of Vietnamese foods. They'd ask their friends, professional cooks and family members. They also read stuff too. Their mantra was that they could make most dishes just as good, if not better than store-bought. (My mom stopped at Chinese roast pork when she was shown the inside of the roasting chamber at a Chinese barbecue shop.)
With regard to pho noodle soup, it's really not hard to make a fabulous bowl. There are detailed recipes in my book, Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, as well as at the Vietworldkitchen.com mega pho page. Vietnamese cooks have lots of tricks up their sleeves, but my approach is to keep things straightforward and true. Before leaping into making pho yourself, consider the following.
Basic pho tips and techniques
Start with good beef bones
Avoid neck bones. Look for knuckle bones and leg bones that contain marrow. At Asian markets, you'll find beef bones cut and bagged in the refrigerated section. Vietnamese markets will sometimes have the leg bones at the butcher counter. You can specify how you want them sawed; ask for two- to three-inch sections.
If you have to buy a little more than what the recipe calls for, lucky you! Your broth will be extra beefy. Miko in Seattle said that his bones were on the biggish side but he bought more than what was called for. I suggested that he thrown them all in for a more intense broth. There was more fat than usual, but Miko refrigerated the broth and lifted the congealed fat off.
From eating pho in Vietnam and observing how the cows there live low-key lives grazing in the countryside, I was inspired to make pho broth from the fragrant bones of grass-fed and natural beef. The experiments have consistently yielded amazing results, with the essence of beef captured every time. To find the bones, ask a butcher who breaks down large beef carcass sections into small retail cuts. Also check these sites for sources for natural, organic or grass-fed beef: Eatwellguide.org, Localharvest.org, Eatwild.com
Aim for a clear broth
This is achieved by parboiling and rinsing the bones, which greatly reduces the amount of residue in the broth. You may think you're pouring essential flavors down the drain, but you're not. The bones exude their essence during the three-hour gentle simmer. Cooking at a low heat also helps produce clear broth. [1/19/08 -- Check out the great tool for efficiently skimming scum and fat!]
Char the onion and ginger
It imparts a wonderful brown color and deepens the overall flavors. DO NOT skip this step unless you're pressure cooking pho.
Use yellow rock sugar
Pictured above, yellow rock sugar rounds out all the rough edges and brings the flavors together. Many Viet cooks in the past used granulated sugar and the flavor is just sweet and flat. Look for the golden-yellow sugar sold in plastic bags or paper boxes at Chinese and Vietnamese markets. Avoid the insipid white version, which is like using regular sugar. Note that the sugar may be labeled rock candy. One package lasts a long time. If you have to, bang on large chunks with a hammer to break them up.
Don't dilute
Why simmer broth for hours to create an intense flavor and then dilute it with water? I never got that approach. As my friend Linda Carucci points out in her helpful book, Cooking School Secrets for Real-World Cooks, bones give up their all after about 3 hours of simmering. Unless you're simmering industrial quantities of bones (then you don't need my help), there's no need to simmer the broth for half a day. The only time that'd you need dilute the broth is if you added too much fish sauce or salt and need to correct the seasoning.
Leave some fat
Despite all the talk about obesity in the United States, I like some shiny globules of fat floating in the broth. They lend a richness that underscores pho's beefiness.
Serve it hot
To cook the raw beef and warm the cooked beef and noodles, the broth must be boiling when it's ladled into the bowl. But hot pho shouldn't be left to sit in the bowl. The noodles will absorb too much broth.
Freeze it
Leftover broth and cooked meats may be frozen for a treat on another day.
What about other Pho Secrets?
- Roasting the bones. I've tried this and have not found that it's done much to the broth aside from making the broth dark, something that I've not found to be attractive. If you start with good bones, there's no need to roast, as the French would do for a veal stock, or demi-glace, as Miko pointed out.
- Filet or Wagyu beef in pho. I like my beef to have taste and have never found super tender, rich filet or Wagyu (American Kobe) to have much oomph. There's plenty of flavor and fat from regular (and cheap) brisket, chuck, drop flank (nam), tendon, etc. Pho is humble food and to add filet or Wagyu removes some soul from the soup. Finally, after reading a story by Gary Estabrook in the December 2007 issue of Gourmet on how Kobe and Wagyu cows are raised, I refuse to eat that meat. Let's say that the cotws are massaged because they're arthritic from having to standing still and carrying all that weight!
- Pho seasoning packets. These little bags sold at Viet markets save you no time. You still have to simmer the bones and meats for broth. You don't know how old the spices are too. Why not gather them yourself?
- Instant pho extract/paste. Can contain MSG. If you don't use bouillon for broth, why would you use something like this?
- Hoisin. Spicy sweet hoisin sauce adds flavor and is something that southern Vietnamese folks like. For me, it obliterates a well crafted broth. Perhaps pho shops set the bottles of Lee Kum Kee out and encourage diners to squirt it into their bowls because their broth isn't well-flavored? I reach for the hoisin to dip a beef meatball into, but that's about it.
Feel free to debate the points I've made here, or add any tips, etc. of your own!
Binh says
Great article, Andrea. I particularly agree wholeheartedly about 2, 3 and...ah well, all of them.
I have experimented various time and I find that you can get a clear broth without parboiling. You need to rinse the bones well in cold water, start the pot with cold water and skim the raft/debris off of the surface once it forms. When you do the parboiling, you don't really care about this since you are discarding everything first, however I prefer to make my broth with bones that still have some
Andrea Nguyen says
Binh, yes, you can skim the scum just as you say. That works just as well. The initial boiling for a few minutes only doesn't rob the broth of much flavor. In fact, when you dump the bones out into the sink, they're barely hot.
Some cooks swear by marinating the bones first with ginger and salt and then rinsing the bones. I've tried that method and it didn't seem to do much. My guess is that in Vietnam, beef bones may have been questionable at times, given limited refrigeration, etc. Marinating
Frank in Austin says
As an addict of Vietnamese food and Pho, this is great! I plan to cook more of it in 2008! Happy New Year!
FM
steamy kitchen says
great tips! i haven't made beef pho is a few months...maybe that's what i'll make tonight for new year's eve.
Nate says
Andrea,
do you have a recipe for bun bo hue? That has replaced pho as my new favorite Vietnamese noodle dish. Also, what's your favorite restaurant to have bun bo hue?
Chuck says
Thanks for the tips Andrea! I'm glad I'm using almost all of your tips. My mom has taught me well. I have never parboiled the bones and just skim the scum, which is tedious. I will definitely parboil next time. Thanks and Happy New Year!
Andrea Nguyen says
Skimming scum seems like an endless task. "Where does it all come from?" is what I asked myself before I learned to parboil. Parboiling the bones takes care of the scummy issue quite handily!
Andrea Nguyen says
Nate, there's a little BBH place on Story past Keyes in a strip mall in San Jose. They do it well and that's all they serve.
T Alexander says
I've tried Andrea's recipe exactly and it was a success. Of course, for my taste, after the broth had simmered for 3 hours (worth the wait), I added more fish sauce. Since I don't have gas stove, I used the broiler to char the ginger and onion. I put them on disposable aluminum pie pan (to catch the juice of the onion)and check from time to time until they sufficiently charred. Thank you again, Andrea.
Andrea Nguyen says
Great tip on broiling the ginger and onion. Glad to know you made awesome pho at home!
Kevin says
Thank you for this post. I will happily refine my techniques with your wisdom!
Andrea Nguyen says
Oh please, Kevin. No flattery. Just good food from your kitchen is what I ask for!
Tiffany Ta says
My secret ingredient to a great PHO pot is daikon. I always drop one inside the pot for great PHO flavor without the MSG and pho flavor enhancer. My husband likes to eat it on the side with his other favorite side fares of red onion and red vinegar, beef oxtails and tendon. Like you, I also parboil my bones so that the broth is always clear. Also, do not let the soup boil, simmering is the secret for a clear broth. I also like to pan roast my star anise and cinnamon stick to kick up the flavo
Andrea Nguyen says
Tiffany, great tips! Yes, there are cooks (mostly often southern Viet cooks) who like to add daikon to the broth.
eatdrinknbmerry says
hi andrea,
very informative posting. when i was researching recipes, i found your site to contain the best listing of things i needed. you can see the result here if interested:
http://eatdrinknbmerry.blogspot.com/2007/03/pho-bo-vietnamese-beef-noodle-soup.html
making pho is extremely time-consuming, but for obsessive cooks like i am, i believe that i can make a just-as-good version of a dish at home. and in the case with pho, it really is worth it to just fork/spoon out that $4.50! haha. i
gregor says
Andrea
Thanks so much for sharing your insight on how to make great Pho. My wife and I spent August last year in Vietnam, and have now settled in Edinburgh, Scotland. I made a big pot of Pho last week and we ate the last two bowls today. Once I got the bones boiling with the ginger, onion, star anise and cloves the smell brought us right back to the streets of Hanoi. Rat Ngon! We even found ourselves missing the little plastic seats, and reminiscing about our wonderful trip.
Unfortunately we had
Beth says
Wow, I just found your blog and am really loving it! Thanks for sharing such great and detailed information about Vietnamese cooking. And I love pho...just had it for the first time this summer and have been dreaming about it ever since.
Andrea Nguyen says
Gregor, Phu Quoc fish sauce is lovely. You're lucky to have tasted it. If you can get Knorr fish sauce in Scotland, it's likely to come from Phu Quoc. The plastic seats add to the pleasure of eating in Vietnam! Makes things that ngon! (really good!)
Andrea Nguyen says
Beth, there's no reason why you can't make pho too! Try it out. It's not hard stuff. Just lots of passive cooking time.
Mai says
I like your technique. I cook pho all the time but I didn't know that I have to let the bones simmer for 3 hours. I'm trying it next time but I was wondering what about the spices. How do you make the smell of pho last for the whole day. Everytime I cook the pho smell doesn't last that long and it fading really quick. Is there any technique for the pho smell to last?
Andrea Nguyen says
Yes, you have to simmer for a long time. I think that if you do that, you won't lose the fragrance in the broth. Also, make sure you count out the number of star anise points. Make sure each one is "robust" (big and fat). However, you don't want the fragrance to be overwhelming, either. Pho is a balance, nuanced broth and you want to taste the beefy goodness too. Too much spice may take away from the beefiness. Overall, use spices that are fragrant and you'll get the fragrance to last in the bro
Tasha says
I read a lot of blog and recipe about pho but it hardly mention when to put the spice (anise start, cinamon stick, etc).
Tana says
Where would you buy these meats locally, Andrea?
cakewardrobe says
Your site is so informative! Now I must buy your book! I hope you will be conducting classes in NY this year!
Andrea Nguyen says
Tana, the bones are at Staff of Life, Shopper's, etc. The specialty cuts, like tripe, require a trip to San Jose.
Andrea Nguyen says
Cakewardrobe, I'm scheduled for a couple classes on June 12 and 13 at the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan. There's no listing yet, so check with the ICE site around March or so:
https://web.iceculinary.com/icereg/index.asp
Brigitte says
Andrea, thank you for the great tips on making Pho. I was wondering if I can cook the bones in a slow cooker before making the soup on the cooktop?
steamy kitchen says
hmmm...how about simmering in lg crockpot overnight???
Andrea Nguyen says
That would have to be a big crock pot, no?
kitchen cutlery sets says
Good article. I need to get my girlfriend to make beef pho
Andrea Nguyen says
Why does your girlfriend need to make the pho? Maybe you two can do it together....?
Amy says
I guess I'm in an experimental mood, but say if you drop a packet of unflavored gelatin in the broth, do you think it will shave time and make it taste good? It's been said that during the broth-making process, the water extracts nutrients and gelatin from the bones, ultimately giving the diner that "mouth-feel" broth taste on your tongue. LOL, what do you think? Crazy or no?
Anonymous says
Amy, that's a crazy idea -- are you talking agar agar or Knox?
Kim says
Oh No!!!! The recipe called for beef leg and knuckle bones....... I actually got a pork cut =\ what was I thinking !!! Hmmmm I wonder if I could just go along with the recipe anyway? I did get a cut of beef too that I planned on putting into the broth.. what do you think, Andrea?
Thanks!
Ustka noclegi says
Great site!!!
Thanks for the tips . I'm using almost all of your tips with my wife in ours kitchen. It is so kind and so differen food and dishes.Once again thanks.
Tanya says
I reside in Maryland. I need to know where I can buy a package (pho) spice seasoning?!! Please let me know, thanks.
Thy says
I actually thought this article was quite interesting. I cook quite similar to you and also have the same opinion on a few things u mentioned. I thought it was funny how you wrote that southern vietnamese people put Hoisin in their Pho and actually a lot of my family members do also. We are from Saigon and I since my childhood never put Hoisin in my broth because I also think it takes away the actual flavour of the broth that I have with so much love and precision cooked for hours so in the end
Andrea Nguyen says
The yellow rock sugar (duong phen) is a great stealth ingredient in many Viet soup broths. Try it out and taste the difference. It's quite remarkable.
Paul B. says
I use beef bones but also (and/or) oxtails to make the broth. The oxtails adds so much more richness and flavor and takes the PHo broth a step up a notch. I like my Beef Pho Broth spicy so I add a few fresh or dried Bird's Eye Chili's (Thai Chili's). I want it spicy and I want it spicy with the ingredients I add during the simmering process....not from a squirt of Sriracha. I also like one or two Chili's floating in a bowl of Pho when I eat. For thinly sliced RARE beef I use the backstrap of Bee
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks for your contributions, Paul B.! Elk sounds great. You and your friends and family are quite fortunate.
Jade Simms says
I have made pho' with this recipe a few times and I have to say that my pho' has been quite successful. I love a culinary challenge so to speak and that is why I attempted pho'! One thing I like to do that is not necessarily "authentic" is that as a condiment I fry garlic in vegetable oil and I add a teaspoon of it to my pho'. It's very complimentary. 🙂 Thank you for sharing you recipe.
Eleanor Hoh says
Love all your posts. I'm doing a Pho show and tell with fellow Twitterers, so when I was doing some research, found you at the top of Google search on this topic!
As a fellow 'technique' cooking teacher, I so appreciate this article on pho techniques. When I understand the "why" of something, I can decide what I want to do with it.
My decision was not to make my broth clear, I love texture and the yummy meaty bits, why sieve it away? I also don't add sugar to my food because I feel it masks th
Eleanor Hoh says
Oops, forgot to mention I'll be listing this as well as your other pho posts as a resource on my post: "To Pho or not to Pho". Great job Andrea.
Andrea Nguyen says
Eleanor -- The reason for the rock sugar is to round out the flavors. There's not so much of it here to be offsetting bitter, salty, sweet, etc.
financial spread betting says
I find it hard to get the flavour of the broth right for any of the dishes, not just this one.
Peter @ Waterless Cookware says
Homemade broth is a lost art. I've tried on my own a few times and it just never seems to come out right. When should you put the spices in?
Dwuz says
Andrea,
Thank you for the recipe, my husband will be in heaven! I am a vegan but will endeavor to make it for him. Can you use jaggery instead of the rock candy sugar? Is the rock candy sugar colored yellow or is it naturally yellow?
thx
flowers tea says
Thanks for sharing the secret, I'm not really too familiar with Vietnamese food, but after reading this post, I think I'm gonna buy the book and try this recipe for a start, it looks so rich in flavors.
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Jen says
Pho tai is my go-to takeout comfort food, especially in the winter. When I order it to-go, they always give twice as much broth as required. I had to think up creative uses for it, and I have to say, it makes the best risotto I've ever had. I used only pho broth, and I added shitaakes, sweet potatoes, shallots, and shrimp.
This weekend, I'm inspired to try making the broth myself, and if it succeeds, I imagine that I will grow positively fat on pho--and on pho risotto.
Christian says
Love the recipe...will probably be trying it out this afternoon, as I luckily have everything I need for this either in my fridge, freezer, or pantry.
Quick question: the ONE things I do not have is yellow rock sugar. Could unrefined cane sugar/demerara work as a decent substitute?
Thaivi Pham says
Great blog. In addition to 2 yellow onions I also add about 10 shallots-charred as well. I also add a whole chicken and you will defintitely taste the "sweetness" of the broth. I also add 1 Tablespoon of fennel seeds for extra depth.
I used tri-tip steak for the rare-beef which I freeze half-way and sliced thin.
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Adam says
Hi Andrea!
Thanks for all this advice on pho-making! I'm so excited to try it!
One question though: you advise against using neck bones, but don't explain why. Other recipes I've seen specifically recommend using neck for a beefier, less greasy broth. Since I want that authentic pho flavor but don't want it to get too greasy, I was thinking of using 60% knuckle, 20% marrow and 20% neck.
Does that sound reasonable to you?
Andrea Nguyen says
Hi Adam -- You want the richness from leg bones. Neck bones are not as beefy. At the end, take out as much fat as you want. I've tried it with neck bones and have always gone back to leg bones. Add an oxtail if you want a round, rich flavor. Thanks for asking!
steffanyann3 says
Thank you for sharing your recipe's.
I find great passion when cooking delicious foods yet most often the recipe's are kept hidden.
It is with great appreciation to people like yourself that can be open and honest enough to not only share such wonderful recipe's but also give an honest kind and humorous personality behind the words that keep us looking forward to reading more.
Sincerely,
Steffanyann3
Adam says
Hi Andrea -- I just wanted to let you know that I made the pho according to your recipe and it was absolutely delicious!
I cook a lot, but have never been able to cook any kind of Asian food satisfactorily. This recipe was easy to follow and resulted in one of the meals that I'm most proud of as a home cook. It also gave me an even deeper appreciation of pho than I had before (now I know where all that cartilage and tendon is coming from, and how awesome it can be!). I will definitely be making
Elin says
I make Hungarian beef and chicken soup at least once a week, this recipe and some of the techniques are similar....I never boil the soup, I simmer very slowly and skim and skim repeatedly. My soup is clear and delicious...I love pho, so will try adding the charred ginger, onion and rock sugar. And of course the fish sauce. Interestingly, my grandma used to add ginger to her chicken soup...of course, that was many many years ago...somewhere along the way, my mother stopped adding the ginger.
Mr. Cooking Grill says
Great Recipe! it really is and must be appreciated by all! 🙂
marlon says
Your site is so informative! Now I must buy your book!
Nickle says
it's already gorgeous looking!! Love your work (and research), you're a true food writer whom I absolutely look up to. 🙂
maggie says
I've been wanting to experiment with Vietnamese cuisine for ages, so what better place to start than with pho, daunting as it seems! As for leaving the classic dishes to the 'pros', I agree with you that wonders can be worked in the home kitchen, and often the secrets of many professionals owe more to liberal use of MSG, bicarbonate of soda, cornstarch and boil-and-deep-fry than integrity of ingredients or technique. Family members are bemused by my forays into cooking my own roast pork or duc
maggie says
Agree, @Steffanyann3. It's great that Andrea is so proud of Vietnamese food that she shares her 'secret' techniques. She doesn't skip steps because they are difficult, or give a simplified version of recipes on the assumption that would be 'good enough' for non-Vietnamese. This, I think, is what sets Andrea's recipes apart from most.
Duyen Nguyen says
I love this post. I like the way you "keep things straightforward and true".
Andrew Herrera says
Hi Andrea, I read other phone recipes that used fennel, coriander and cardamom, are these spices that are also used in Vietnam?
Andrew Herrera says
Sorry, I meant *pho recipes.
Hoangmaicorp says
I was born and raised in Vietnam, when living here I feel Pho is a daily food. But when away, a hometown flavor that I always wanted taste of Pho. It is wonderful and worthy of fast food typical of Vietnamese.
Currently I specialize in trading of cooking utensils, cooking Pho bếp từ
Homepage: http://thietbivesinhvn.com.vn
Wali says
Lovely recipes! Thanks!
Here a hint for the home brewer. Have your butcher cu your bones into 2" pieces! Cutting big beef bones is a LOT harder than I thought!
Brendan says
It’s a widely believed old wives tale that msg is harmful, check out the research. Nice rmecipe and tips thanks.
Andrea Nguyen says
Thanks for weighing in, Brendan!
Lindsey says
I've been trying to make pho at home, and the broth gets very gelatinous when it's cool. I think that's desirable for bone broth, but everywhere I'm reading says that pho broth should stay liquid. What am I doing wrong? And how do I fix it if I do it again?
Andrea Nguyen says
Just thin it out with water. Or, just keep it that way. When you reheat the broth, it will thin out.