Vietnamese Beef Pho.

Let me just say this about that.  I don’t think I’ve ever delivered so much flavor with so little effort.  When I got home from work I assembled everything I needed, put the broth and seasoning on to simmer, all in about 5 minutes.  I did also pop our beef filet into the freezer, which later helped with getting a nice thin slice.

I was introduced to Pho, a year ago or so, during a Sundays with Shelby outing (thankfully she’s taught me that it’s properly pronounced “fuh” not “fo”).  While the amazing broth captured my attention, being a big time sucker for lots and lots of accoutrements is what was so special about this dish.  I was a bit giddy about building my own bowl of fun.

This dish can easily be made at home.  Infuse beef broth with a tea ball filled with 3 star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 cardamom pods, 8 peppercorns, and a piece of ginger for about 30 minutes (low simmer).

You’ll want to serve the hot broth with a good assortment of fresh basil (Thai basil is recommended), fresh mint, scallion, jalapenos, bean sprouts, lime wedges and of course the thin sliced beef.  Let us not forget the noodles.  Here’s where I veered off course a bit.  A classic Pho calls for rice noodles.  I wanted to make this dish on Tuesday.  There were no rice noodles in sight.  I opted for fresh linguine noodles available at my local grocer.  They were just fine.

To serve Vietnamese Beef Pho, I add cooked noodles and bean sprouts into oversized soup bowls.  I add several pieces of very thinly sliced raw beef (you could substitute raw peeled shrimp or have both).  When the hot seasoned broth is poured over the beef it cooks it instantly. I then add my herbs and aromatics and a good squeeze of lime juice.  You can also kick up the heat with a squeeze of Sriracha sauce, but I find the fresh jalapeno slices give me the heat I need.  I’m really enjoying all of the Vietnamese dishes I’ve recreated at home.  Bánh mì‘s (crazy incredible sandwiches loaded with flavor) are next up on my radar.  Enjoy.

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Vietnamese Beef Pho

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 2

Author Libby with Lemony Thyme

Ingredients

For the broth

• 4 cups beef broth
• 1 Tbl. fish sauce
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 3 star anise
• 2 cardamom pods
• 8 peppercorns
• 1 piece of fresh ginger about 1/4-inch thick

For the assembly…

• 1 5 ounce beef tenderloin filet
• 4 ounces rice noodles or fresh linguine cooked according to package instructions
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 lime cut into wedges
• 2 scallions thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno sliced
• a good handful of fresh basil leaves preferably Thai basil
• a good handful of fresh mint leaves

Instructions

To prepare…

• Warm beef broth and fish sauce in a medium sauce pan over medium-low heat. Add cinnamon stick, star anise, cardamom pods, peppercorns, and ginger in a spice bag or tea ball. Simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, freeze beef filet wrapped in plastic wrap for 30 minutes, then using sharp knife slice as thinly as possible.
• Prepare noodles according to package instructions, then cool to stop cooking; reserve.
• Assemble all remaining ingredients for serving.

To serve…

• Place 1/2 of the noodles and bean sprouts in two bowls. Serve with hot beef broth, sliced beef, aromatics, and herbs.

Other Vietnamese dishes you might enjoy.

Vietnamese Pork Tenderloin

Grilled Vietnamese Chicken Thighs

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