Beef pho southern-style – phở bò miền nam
- ⏱ 10 hours 5 minutes
- Hard
- Serves 1
- 👥 2-cook recipe
A clear, aromatic southern Vietnamese beef pho broth served with noodles, beef, herbs, lime, and dipping sauces.
Adapted from Great British Chefs.
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Beef pho southern-s...
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COOK 1COOK 2
1Plate and serve
2Add assortment
3Finish herbs
+ 40 more steps in the app
Beef pho southern-s...
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COOK 2COOK 1
1Plate and serve
2Add assortment
3Finish herbs
+ 40 more steps in the app
Ingredients
- 3 onions (skins on)
- 200 g ginger (unpeeled)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 500 g dried pho noodles
- 150 g beansprouts
- 500 g topside steak (thinly sliced)
- 10 star anise
- 5 g cloves
- 3 tsp coriander seeds
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 3 cardamom pods (lightly crushed, pods discarded and seeds only)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 lemons (halved)
- 5 tbsp salt for soaking
- 500 g oxtail
- 500 g bone marrow (chopped into 7cm pieces)
- 2 kg beef brisket (on the bone)
- 500 g beef flank
- 500 g beef ribs
- 1 daikon radish (peeled and halved)
- 120 g salt for broth
- 200 g yellow rock sugar (crushed)
- 200 g coriander leaves
- 200 g spring onions (chopped)
- 200 g Thai basil leaves
- 200 g sawtooth herb
- 4 limes (cut into wedges)
- 5 bird's eye chillies (aliced)
- sriracha, to taste
- hoisin sauce, to taste
What you'll need
You'll share: Gas flame, Small frying pan, Spice strainer, Stockpot, Large sieve, Bowl, and Saucepan.
Each of you needs your own: Cutting board, Chef's knife, and Mixing bowl.
The full plan
Split between two cooks — each step says who's on it.
1. Mise en place BOTH
- Prep 500 g bone marrow: chop into 7cm pieces
- Prep 3 onions: skins on
- Prep 200 g ginger: unpeeled
- Prep 2 lemons: halve
2. Soak the bones COOK 2
- In a stockpot, squeeze the juice of the lemons into plenty of cold water, throw the lemon halves in
- Soak the oxtail, marrow, beef brisket, flank, and ribs and bones in the water
- Add the salt, stir well, and leave for 1 hour
3. Char onions and ginger COOK 1
- On an open gas flame, char the onions and ginger until the skins are blackened
- Remove, allow to cool enough to handle
- Peel the skins off
- Rinse in cold water and set aside
4. Mise en place COOK 2
- Prep 1 daikon radish: peel and halve
- Prep 200 g yellow rock sugar: crush
- Prep 3 cardamom pods: lightly crush, pods discarded and seeds only
5. Toast the spices COOK 2
- In a small frying pan, dry toast all the spices for 3–5 minutes over a medium heat, until aromatic
- Take the pan off the heat and leave to cool
- Put the spices into a spice strainer, breaking up the cinnamon stick if necessary, and set aside
6. Soak the noodles COOK 1
- Soak the noodles in a bowl of cold water for 30–45 minutes
- Drain and set aside
7. Mise en place COOK 1
- Prep 500 g topside steak: thinly slice
- Prep 200 g spring onions: chop
- Prep 5 bird's eye chillies: aliced
8. Mise en place COOK 2
- Prep 4 limes: cut into wedges
9. Parboil the meat COOK 2
- Discard the lemon halves and set the pot over a high heat, Parboil the bones and meat for 5 minutes
- Drain, rinse in cold water, and leave to dry
🤝 Cook 1 hands the stockpot to Cook 2.
10. Simmer the broth COOK 2
- Rinse the pot used for cleaning the bones and meat and fill with 8 litres of water
- Add the par-boiled meat, Blast at extremely high heat for 3–4 minutes to force all the impurities to the surface
- Skim off the scum until the water looks clear
- Reduce the heat to low, partially cover with the lid, and simmer for 3 hours
11. Add aromatics COOK 1
- Add the prepared onions and ginger along with the daikon to the broth and add 120g salt
- Stir in the sugar
- Continue to simmer for a further 2 hours
- Carefully remove the daikon and onion from the broth, add the spice strainer along with the fish sauce, and cook for a further 3 hours
12. Adjust the seasoning COOK 1
- Taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference, In the north of Vietnam pho is a little saltier, and in the south it is a little sweeter
13. Strain the broth COOK 1
- Take the pot off the heat, remove the bones and meat, and allow to cool
- Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface, carefully and slowly strain the broth through a large sieve into a clean stockpot
14. Prepare the meat COOK 1
- Debone and tear the brisket meat into strips
- Cut the flank into thin slices, If you like, tear the meat off the ribs, or serve it on the bones
15. Plate and serve BOTH
- In a saucepan of boiling water, blanch the bean sprouts for 5–10 seconds and drain
- Divide the bean sprouts between serving bowls
- Fill the pan with fresh water and cook the soaked noodles for 3–5 seconds
- Drain and add them to the bowls with the bean sprouts
16. Add assortment BOTH
- Add the assortment of cooked meat
- Arrange the slices of topside steak on top
- Bring the broth to the boil and ladle it between the bowls
- Add the marrow to the bowls, or leave it on the side for guests to help themselves
17. Finish herbs BOTH
- Finish with the herbs and serve with lime wedges and sriracha and hoisin sauces for dipping the meat, Do not add the sauces into the broth
- Finally, enjoy your first spoonful of broth, You deserve it chef!
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