Does anyone have a recipe for homemade pho? not the Martha Stuart version.?

Question

Thanks! I love the level of detail in your recipe.

Additional question: Does the stock have to be beef? Any other animal good for the stock? Or does pho mean beef only?

thank you for the link to the pho recipe. I am going to try this one that has appeared twice.

Also thanks for the simplified recipe.

Answer 1

Pho Recipe
Ingredients for the broth (approximate) for 8 quart stock pot:
-2lb beef bones
-2lbs beef brisket (optional)
-1 large onion
-1 piece of ginger about 3-4 inches
Spices: put all of the spices in a cheese cloth bag or bound it up in a cut up cheese cloth and use the twisty tie to tie it up.
-4 or 5 star anise
-3 cloves
-1 stick of cinnamon about 3 inches long
-4 cardamom
-5 slivers of licorise balk
-1 tbsp whole pepper
-1/4 cup salt, ¼ C. sugar & 2 tsp MSG ( you have to adjust according to your liking. You have to use MSG to achieve the pho taste.)

NOTE:
**Boil bones and beef brisket for about five mins, drain and wash before using it to make broth (this is the most important part of making pho!).
FOR ON TOP OF THE STOVE METHOD:
Put bones and beef brisket in a large pot and add enough water to cover, boil to make broth along with anise, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom. Roast onion and ginger, clean, and add to broth.
Add salt and sugar to taste.
If you’re using beef brisket then remove the meat when tender (test by stabbing it with a chop stick, if the chop stick goes trough then it’s good to go).
FOR COOKING IN THE OVEN OVER NIGHT METHOD:
Prepare everything as you would have for cooking on top of the stove, except for the beef brisket.
Put the stock pot into a 210 degree oven with cover on
Go to bed!
NOTE: Make sure to skim off the fat as it floats on top.
You can cook the beef brisket in another pot before you want to eat. Same direction as above.
Meat Choices:
There are many type of meats to decide on that goes into you pho.
-Gầu or nạm or chín = beef brisket, boil it in broth until tender, remove cool, and slice and add to noodles
-taí = steak, slice thinly, added to the noodles raw right before pouring on the hot broth; which will then “cook” the steak
-gân = beef tendons, also boiled in broth until tender, sliced, and added to noodles
-Lá Sách = beef tripe, boiled speretly, sliced and added to noodles
-Bò Viên = beef meat balls (buy them premade)

For the noodles:
-bánh phở (pho noodles, dry or fresh)

Prepared ahead/Condiments:
-Bean sprouts
-basil (lá quế), saw tooth herb (ngò gai)
-jalapeno pepers, thinly sliced
-lime wedges
-fish sauce, hoisin sauce, pepper sauce
-1 onion, sliced into thin strips
-1 bunch green onions and cilantro. Chopped and mixed together and put it aside
-black peper
To "Make" the Pho:
If you use dry noodles:
-Soak noodles in hot tap water for at least ½ hr or until it soften
-Drain and set aside for later
To assemble the bowl of Pho:
-Boil noodles in a pan with desired amount until cook approximately 2 minutes, drain and add to bowl, topped/add meats (your choice), and add ladle of the hot broth. Sprinkle some chopped green onions, cilantro, sliced onion, and ground black pepper. Serve with bean sprouts, basil, saw tooth herb, jalapeno slices, lime juice, etc...

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

Beef noodle soup (pho bo)

For the broth:
2 medium yellow onions (about 1 pound total)
4-inch piece ginger (about 4 ounces)
5-6 pounds beef soup bones (marrow and knuckle bones)
5 star anise (40 star points total)
6 whole cloves
3-inch cinnamon stick
1 pound piece of beef chuck, rump, brisket or cross rib roast, cut into 2-by-4-inch pieces (weight after trimming)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons fish sauce
1 ounce (1-inch chunk) yellow rock sugar (duong phen; see Note)


For the bowls:
1 1/2-2 pounds small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles ("rice sticks'' or Thai chantaboon)
1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin, London broil or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (1/16 inch thick; freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, left to soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water
3 or 4 scallions, green part only, cut into thin rings
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (ngo)
Ground black pepper


Some important tips:

1. 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.


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]

2. 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.


3. Char the onion and ginger: It imparts a wonderful brown color and deepens the overall flavors.


4. 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.


5. 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.

Answer 4

Beef Pho

INGREDIENTS
4 quarts beef broth
1 large onion, sliced into rings
6 slices fresh ginger root
1 lemon grass
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 pound sirloin tip, cut into thin slices
1/2 pound bean sprouts
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 (8 ounce) packages dried rice noodles
1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce

DIRECTIONS
1) In a large soup pot, combine broth, onion, ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.
2) Arrange bean sprouts, mint, basil, and cilantro on a platter with chilies and lime.
3) Soak the noodles in hot water to cover for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain. Place equal portions of noodles into 6 large soup bowls, and place raw beef on top. Ladle hot broth over noodles and beef. Pass platter with garnishes and sauces.

Answer 5

I have made this from scratch (not using the pho ready to use ingredients)

Pho Bo Vien

Broth:
2 medium yellow onions (about 1 pound total)
4-inch piece ginger (about 4 ounces)
5 to 6 pounds beef soup bones (marrow and knuckle bones)
5 star anise (40 star points total)
6 whole cloves
3-inch cinnamon stick
1 pound piece of beef chuck, rump, brisket or cross rib roast, cut into 2-by-4-inch pieces (weight after trimming)
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 ounce (1-inch chunk) rock sugar (duong phen; see Note) or 1 tablespoon white sugar


For the bowls:
2 14- or 16-ounce packages of size small ( 1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles ("rice sticks'' or Thai chantaboon)
1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin, London broil or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (1/16 inch thick; freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice)
1 medium yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, left to soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water
3-4 scallions, green part only, cut into thin rings
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (ngo)
Ground black pepper

For the beef balls:
1/4 cup nuoc mam or patis
1 Tbsp tapioca starch
1 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp Splenda or Sugar
1/4 tsp freshly cracked ground black pepper
2 lb ground beef
4 fresh garlic cloves, crushed and minced
1 tsp sesame oil
canola oil, for shaping meatballs

In a shallow dish, mix the fish sauce, potato starch, baking powder, sugar and white pepper. Mash the ground beef up and thoroughly mix it. Add to the marinade and mix well.
Cover and refrigerate for a couple of hours.
Before proceeding, transfer the meat to the freezer for 30 minutes.
Work with half of the beef at a time.
In a food processor, combine half of the beef with half of the garlic and sesame oil.
Process to a completely smooth but stiff paste.
Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the work bowl.
The completed paste should spring back to the touch.
Transfer the paste to a bowl.
Process the remaining ground beef, garlic and sesame oil the same way.
Rub some canola oil on one hand, and grab a handful of the meat paste and close your hand into a fist, squeezing out a small portion of the mixture, about 1 teaspoon, between your thumb and index finger.
Keep rolling and squeezing the same portion between your thumb and index finger until you obtain a smooth rounded ball.
Scoop out the meatball with an oiled spoon, and repeat until all of the paste is used.
Boil meatballs while done making the broth (boil in the ready broth) until beef balls come to the surface, which means cooked.




Optional garnishes arranged on a plate and placed at the table:
Sprigs of spearmint (hung lui) and Asian/Thai basil (hung que)
Leaves of thorny cilantro (ngo gai)
Bean sprouts (about 1/2 pound)
Red hot chiles (such as Thai bird or dragon), thinly sliced
Lime wedges


Prepare the broth:

Char onion and ginger. Use an open flame on grill or gas stove. Place onions and ginger on cooking grate and let skin burn. (If using stove, turn on exhaust fan and open a window.) After about 15 minutes, they will soften and become sweetly fragrant. Use tongs to occasionally rotate them and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin. You do not have to blacken entire surface, just enough to slightly cook onion and ginger.


Let cool. Under warm water, remove charred onion skin; trim and discard blackened parts of root or stem ends. If ginger skin is puckered and blistered, smash ginger with flat side of knife to loosen flesh from skin. Otherwise, use sharp paring knife to remove skin, running ginger under warm water to wash off blackened bits. Set aside.


Parboil bones. Place bones in stockpot (minimum 12-quart capacity) and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Boil vigorously 2 to 3 minutes to allow impurities to be released. Dump bones and water into sink and rinse bones with warm water. Quickly scrub stockpot to remove any residue. Return bones to pot.


Simmer broth. Add 6 quarts water to pot, bring to boil over high heat, then lower flame to gently simmer. Use ladle to skim any scum that rises to surface. Add remaining broth ingredients and cook 1 1/2 hours. Boneless meat should be slightly chewy but not tough. When it is cooked to your liking, remove it and place in bowl of cold water for 10 minutes; this prevents the meat from drying up and turning dark as it cools. Drain the meat; cool, then refrigerate. Allow broth to continue cooking; in total, the broth should simmer 3 hours.


Strain broth through fine strainer. If desired, remove any bits of gelatinous tendon from bones to add to your pho bowl. Store tendon with cooked beef. Discard solids.


Use ladle to skim as much fat from top of broth as you like. (Cool it and refrigerate it overnight to make this task easier.) By the teaspoonful, adjust flavor with additional salt, fish sauce and sugar. The broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other ingredients are not salted. (If you've gone too far, add water to dilute.) Makes about 4 quarts.


Assemble bowls: The key is to be organized and have everything ready to go. Thinly slice cooked meat. For best results, make sure it's cold.


Heat broth and ready noodles. To ensure good timing, reheat broth over medium flame as you're assembling bowls. If you're using dried noodles, cover with hot tap water and soak 15-20 minutes, until softened and opaque white. Drain in colander. For fresh rice noodles, just untangle and briefly rinse in a colander with cold water.


Blanch noodles. Fill 3- or 4-quart saucepan with water and bring to boil. For each bowl, use long-handle strainer to blanch a portion of noodles. As soon as noodles have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10-20 seconds), pull strainer from water, letting water drain back into saucepan. Empty noodles into bowls. Noodles should occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of bowl; the latter is for noodle lovers, while the former is for those who prize broth.
If desired, after blanching noodles, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds in same saucepan. They should slightly wilt but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnish plate.


Add other ingredients. Place slices of cooked meat, beef balls, raw meat and tendon (if using) atop noodles. (If your cooked meat is not at room temperature, blanch slices for few seconds in hot water from above.) Garnish with onion, scallion and chopped cilantro. Finish with black pepper.

Ladle in broth and serve. Bring broth to rolling boil. Check seasoning. Ladle broth into each bowl, distributing hot liquid evenly so as to cook raw beef and warm other ingredients. Serve with garnish plate.



Pho means soup, and the well known Vietnamese Pho would be Beef Soup (Pho Bo), so as far as I know they use beef chunk etc for the broth