I had a hankering for pho this week so I figured I would try to make it! This at-home recipe has a bit of a darker broth but boy does it taste good!
I found this recipe on Food Network and was surprised at how simple it really was to make. The hardest part was slicing the beef super thin so that it can finish cooking in the broth. If you are worried that your slices are too thick to cook fully, just add the sliced beef to the broth and simmer for about 1 minute before assembling.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 12 ounces lean beef sirloin, fat trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large onion, sliced (or 2 small onions)
- 1 4 -inch piece ginger, unpeeled, halved
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 5 star anise pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 scallions
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
Heat a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and divide among 4 bowls.
Add another large pot (or saute pan with high sides) over high heat. Tenderize the meat and season with salt and pepper. You can use a fork to tenderize the meat, or use a meat tenderizer. (I used this one from OXO.)
Add the meat to the second pot and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned but still rare on the inside. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onion and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring for 4 minutes. Note: the original recipe had you just halve the onion, cook, remove, and then slice. After doing this, I find it to be a bit too laborious, so just add sliced onions originally and save yourself the trouble later.  🙂
Add the broth, 3 cups water, star anise, and cinnamon. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
While waiting for the broth to cook, thinly slice your scallions and jalapeno and chop your cilantro.
Thinly slice the meat against the grain — try to slice as thinly as you can.
After 20 minutes, add the fish sauce to the broth and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove the ginger, star anise, and cinnamon stick.
Top each bowl filled with noodles with the broth, beef, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts and jalapenos.
The broth has a spiciness to it that I really liked. The noodles soak all that flavor right up!
If you’re not a fan of spiciness, go light on adding the jalapeno to your serving. The bean sprouts add a nice refreshing crunch so don’t leave those out!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 12 ounces lean beef sirloin, fat trimmed
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 large onion, sliced (or 2 small onions)
- 1 4 -inch piece ginger, unpeeled, halved
- 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 5 star anise pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 scallions
- 1 jalapeno pepper
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
Instructions
- Heat a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and divide among 4 bowls.
- Add another large pot (or saute pan with high sides) over high heat. Tenderize the meat and season with salt and pepper. You can use a fork to tenderize the meat, or use a meat tenderizer.
- Add the meat to the second pot and sear for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned but still rare on the inside. Transfer to a plate.
- Add the onion and ginger to the pot and cook, stirring for 4 minutes.
- Add the broth, 3 cups water, star anise, and cinnamon. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes.
- While waiting for the broth to cook, thinly slice your scallions and jalapeno and chop your cilantro.
- Thinly slice the meat against the grain — try to slice as thinly as you can.
- After 20 minutes, add the fish sauce to the broth and simmer another 5 minutes. Remove the ginger, star anise, and cinnamon stick.
- Top each bowl filled with noodles with the broth, beef, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts and jalapenos.
What do you think?