A hot steaming bowl of Vietnamese Pho soup bursts with beefy, herby, and hearty flavors. It is a must try especially on those cold freezing days.
Traditional Vietnamese Pho Soup is an Asian inspired soup with aromatic flavors. It has a savory beef broth with slices of steak and chewy pho rice noodles.
It is finalized with a handful of fresh herbs like cilantro, star anise, jalapeños, and more. Amazingly delicious!
Fresh and Bright Soup with Herbalicious Garnish
What Is Pho?
Pho is a traditional Vietnamese noodle Soup. It is made of bone broth simmered for a long time, banh pho noodles, and thinly sliced beef meat. It is usually served with aromatic herbs like Thai basil and cilantro.
Pho, pronounced /fuh/, is said to originate from the French word “feu” meaning fire. They might have used it to tell that it is a pot on a fire. Vietnamese people used to boil beef bones for a long time to get a concentrated beef broth for this special soup.
Do not confuse it with Japanese ramen soup. Authentic Pho soup, called Pho bo in Vietnamese cuisine, is made with rice noodles whereas Japanese ramen soup is made with wheat noodles.
Aromatic Symphony of Flavors in One Big Bowl
Why You Will Love Vietnamese Pho Soup
First, Vietnamese pho soup can be customized to your liking. You can use chicken broth if you want. Also, you can replace beef slices with lamb meat slices, chicken slices, or shrimp.
What makes beef Pho recipe even better is the add-ins. So, you can adjust each bowl to your own preference. Prepare some condiments like hoisin sauce, soy sauce, fish sauce, Sriracha, and chili paste next to your bowl of pho soup.
Make each bowl a unique experience with different flavors. I recommend you add two herbs and one condiment each time so you can enjoy every flavor.
This soup is a perfect meal prep recipe. You can prepare it ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
You can also store the soup in the freezer. Divide it into individual servings in airtight containers in the freezer. Reheat as much as you need whenever you feel the need for a savory hot bowl of soup.
Ultimate Vietnamese Soup Experience with Your Favorite toppings!
What to Serve with Pho Soup
Popular Vietnamese Pho soup is a savory soup full of umami. Serve it in large soup bowls and enjoy it with several side dishes to add beautiful delicious flavors to your dinner table. Here are some suggestions.
- Gluten Free Yeast Free Naan Bread
- Refreshing Cucumber Salad
- Sweet Potato Cajun Rice Bowl
- Homemade Sushi Rolls
- Beef Shawarma Egg Rolls – Air Fried
- Easy Grilled Shishito Peppers
- Chinese Pepper Steak
Tips You Need to Know
For a deeper flavor, you can get high-quality meaty bone broth. It is usually simmered with veggies, aromatic herbs, and seasonings for more than 20 hours to get that deep flavorful broth.
To make chicken pho soup, get chicken thighs since they are tender and juicier than chicken breasts. Also, they easily absorb flavors you add to the soup.
If you are using shrimp, you have to peel, devein, and remove their tail before you add them to the soup.
Char the onions and ginger in an iron skillet. This will add a smoky taste from the onions and a warm, spicy, peppery taste from the ginger.
Enjoy your beef noodle soup in the comfort of your home. Use the spoon to sip the broth and the chopsticks to swirl the noodles and the steak slices.
Could Never Be Easier!
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a tangy, salty, sweet sauce. It has a consistency similar to BBQ sauce. You can find it in the Asian market or the Asian section in grocery stores.
Yes, why not! Feel free to use any cooked meat, chicken, or shrimp leftovers and turn them into a savory pho soup.
Indeed! You can replace the meat broth in pho soup with vegetable broth. Also, you can replace meat with tofu or mushrooms.
Yes, it is! The noodles used in pho soup are made of rice wheat. Make sure to use the condiments that have gluten-free labels.
Vietnamese Pho Soup Recipe
Follow these steps to get a restaurant-quality pho soup with amazing flavors coming from your own kitchen. Let’s get ready for some pho!
What You Need
For the Pho Soup
- Beef broth
- Bullion cubes
- Yellow onion
- Garlic cloves
- Star anise
- Ginger
- Cinnamon stick
- Salt
- Pepper
- Pho rice noodles or fettuccini noodles
- Filet mignon steak
For garnish
- Bean sprouts
- Fresh cilantro
- Fresh ginger slices
- Lime or lemon wedges
- Green onions
- Jalapenos
- Thai basil
Step By Step Instructions
First, stir together beef broth, bullion cubes, onion, garlic, star anise, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon stick in a large stockpot.
Next, bring them to a boil over high heat. Cover the pho broth and reduce heat to medium-low. Let them simmer for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions. If your package of noodles — like mine — did not have instructions, simply bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Then, cook the noodles for about 3 minutes. Immediately drain the noodles, and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set them aside.
When you are ready to serve the soup, fill the serving bowls about halfway full with noodles. On top of the noodles, add the hot broth, and immediately stir in the steak slices so that they cook.
For garnish, prepare some bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, fresh ginger slices, lime or lemon wedges, thinly-chopped green onions, thinly sliced jalapenos, and Thai basil.
Finally, top your soup with your desired garnishes. Serve and enjoy.
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- Red Lentil Soup
Vietnamese Pho Soup Recipe
Ingredients
For the soup
- 12 cups beef broth 3 quarts
- 2 bullion cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion quartered
- 4 cloves of garlic roughly minced
- 3 whole star anise
- 3 whole cloves of garlic
- 1 (3-inch) knob of ginger sliced into coins
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 package pho rice noodles fettuccini noodles
- 12 ounces steak filet mignon
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
For Garnish
- bean sprouts
- fresh cilantro
- fresh ginger slices
- lime or lemon wedges
- green onions thinly-chopped
- jalapenos thinly-sliced
- Thai basil
Instructions
- First, stir together beef broth, bullion cubes, onion, garlic, star anise, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon stick in a large stockpot.
- Next, bring them to a boil over high heat. Cover the pho broth and reduce heat to medium-low. Let them simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to package instructions. If your package of noodles — like mine — did not have instructions, simply bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Then, cook the noodles for about 3 minutes. Immediately drain the noodles, and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking. Drain and set them aside.
- When you are ready to serve the soup, fill the serving bowls about halfway full with noodles. On the top of the noodles, add the hot broth, and immediately stir in the steak slices so that they cook.
- Prepare some bean sprouts, fresh cilantro, fresh ginger slices, lime or lemon wedges, thinly-chopped green onions, thinly-sliced jalapenos, Thai basil.
- Top your soup with your desired garnishes. Serve and enjoy.
Notes
Joanne says
This recipe was an exciting find! I’ve never tried cooking any Vietnamese recipe before, but I’m so excited to try this soup. looks easy