In my previous blog entry, I shared with you all my all-time favorite Northern Style Chicken Pho and received so many requests for my mom’s recipe of its beloved cousin, Pho Bo (Beef Pho Noodle Soup). Pho Bo is a family recipe I used to wonder why I’d wait so long to learn from my mom. Maybe the idea of making Pho from scratch intimidated me given how much time and effort is needed to prepare and cook the succulent broth. Being a pho-coholic myself, I knew that I had to learn this recipe from my mom before I go to college. To me, Pho Bo has always been one of the ultimate comfort foods that would make me feel less homesick when being away from home. Lots of things change when you move abroad and live far away from your family, but the taste of your favorite food doesn’t have to change. For those who are experiencing homesickness abroad, just remember that you are definitely not alone. Feed your heart and your soul with good food, you will 100% feel better! Been there done that!
Pho Bo is one of many national dishes of Vietnam, which has captured the fascination of food enthusiasts from around the world. The history of Pho began in Nam Dinh province, Hanoi during the mid-1880s when the French was colonizing the country. No one knows where the word Pho came from, but it’s widely believed that pho is the Vietnamese version of the French soup pot-au-feu, a beef and vegetable stew. With that said, this dish is heavily influenced by the French cooking as the French popularized the eating of red meat to the Vietnamese cuisine. When the country was split into North and South, Pho recipes were adapted to suit the taste and the preferences of each region.
Different regions approach this national dish very differently, from the textures, broth, meat, sauces, to the toppings. For example, the southern-style pho focuses on the topping variety and is usually served with fanciful add-ons such as meatballs, bean sprouts, basils, etc., whereas the northern-style pho features a savory beef broth with minimal use of garnishes and seasoning to highlight the broth and its purist form. Regardless, Pho is a special dish that many Vietnamese hold hear to their heart, in any shape or form!
What is Hanoi-style Pho Bo? What makes it so special?
“Pho” means rice noodles, “Bo” means beef. In Vietnam, pho bo is mostly a breakfast food, however, it can be enjoyed during anytime of the day. The reason why I said it can be enjoyed during anytime of the day is because pho is available anywhere and anytime in Vietnam, from the hidden small alleyways, to the big storefront streets. A bowl of Northern-style beef pho consists of soft slippery noodles in a beefy yet delicate broth, served with different cuts of beefs of your choice. Pho bo xao lan is a version of pho bo, that involved wok-frying thin slices of beef with garlic and beef fat. Since the slices of beef are stir-fried with beef fat and garlic on high heat, the taste of the beef broth will be much bolder and more flavorful, which I truly enjoy!
Pho’s aromatic broth is the result of slowly and gently simmering beef bones, charred shallots, gingers, and spices including cinnamon, clove, coriander seeds and star anise. Pho takes quite a long time to make because it takes time for the marrow in the bones to dissolve into the pho broth. The flavor of the marrow is the essence of the broth, which must be brough our slowly and gently to prevent distorting the delicate flavor of the beef broth. Don’t let this discourage you because I honestly think it is not difficult to cook pho at home. It sure requires a bit of patience, but the result will be well worth it! You have to trust me on this!
Now, let’s get to cooking shall we? We shall!
Ingredients:
For the broth:
Beef bones (ox tail, neck bones, and/or shanks)
Water
Shallots
Ginger
Salt, fish sauce, chicken bouillon powder, MSG, and sugar
For the spices:
1 stick of cinnamon
3 dried star anise
1 tsp each of dried cloves and coriander seeds
For the wok-fried beef:
Beef of your choice
Fish sauce
Oyster Sauce
Garlic
Pepper, Sugar
Vegetable oil
For the toppings
Dried banh pho
Cilantro (roughly chopped)
Green onions (thinly sliced)
Fried dough (quay)
Lime, chillies, hot sauce
Let’s get started!
Step 1:
Clean the beef bones by adding our beef bones to a pot of salted water and bringing it to a boil. After you see a lot of impurities and foam float to the top of the boiling water, turn off the heat and get rid of the water. Give the bones a gentle rubbing and drain dry. This step will help us get rid of all the impurities and ensure us a clean looking broth!
Add the cleaned bones into a clean pot and add water. Bring the broth to a boil and lower the heat to simmer for about 1 and a half hour, uncovered.
Step 2:
While the broth is simmering, we can prepare and grill our ginger and shallots. I usually use a blow torch to give them some nice and charred color. However, if you do not own a kitchen torch, feel free to roast them in the oven at 400-degree Fahrenheit for about 15 minutes. Oven works perfectly fine! You will want your shallot and ginger to be about 50%-70% black. The char from the skins will intensify the smoky flavor of our broth.
Step 3:
After 1 hour has passed, add the spices and roasted shallots and ginger into the pot. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for another 3-5 hours. Occasionally, check on the pot and scrum off any impurities that float to the top of the broth. Season the broth with fish sauce, chicken powder, and sugar. In this step, you will want to lightly season the broth since our wok-fried beef also add some depths of flavor and saltiness into the broth later on.
Step 4:
Marinade our beef with fish sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, ground pepper, garlic, and set aside.
Cook banh pho until al dente. I recommend using wider noodles to make it tastes more authentic to the North. The type of banh pho we use in the north (left) is very different from the ones use in the south (right). However, feel free to use any kind of your choice!
Step 5:
Once our broth is done and our pho is ready to be served, it’s time to cook our beef. Heat your pan, wok or skillet over high heat until the smoke comes out of the pan. Add your vegetable oil and then marinated beef. Stir fried the meat until ¾ of the way cooked and set aside.
Step 6:
The moment that we have been waiting for – let’s assemble the dish. Add the noodles into the serving bowl, use a ladle and cover the noodles with our hot broth, and then strain the broth out. This step is called blanching the noodles. Top the bowl with our meat, scallions, cilantro, and MSG. Finally, ladle in our flavorful broth to cover the bowl. Serve our pho with a few lime wedges, chillies, and fried dough on the side. And it’s time to enjoy!
Bon Appetit, everyone!
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