Marketer in Pink
Recipe: Homemade Vietnamese Pho
“Haha oh! The things we learn from moving to the island…” is one of the things we often say to each other since moving here to Grand Cayman.
When I decided to join the blogging world, I’ve never once thought I’d put up recipes here. I love food and sometimes I joke around that I’m a foodie, but I did not even imagine I will use this platform to post a certain dish other than my opinions about certain cuisine or where to get find the best spots. Although, moving to the island early this year, our food selections is so slim.
There are limited sushi spots and very little selections of Asian restaurants here but surprisingly abundant choices of Filipino food. That said, Vietnamese Pho is our go-to comfort food in Toronto and that’s one thing you can’t find here: a classic Vietnamese restaurant (Asian fusion restaurant doesn’t count!).
So what did I do? I learned how to cook it!
After multiple tries and friends taste testing this recipe, I believe I’ve perfected it. Give it a try…
HOMEMADE VIETNAMESE PHO (VIDEO)
Prep: 20 minutes | Cook: 8 hours or overnight
What You’ll Need:
- 4 pounds beef soup bones
- 3 pounds flank steak
- 1 ½ pounds beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
- 6 quarts water
- 1 onion, unpeeled and cut in half
- 4 pods star anise
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 5 slices fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- ½ cup chopped green onions
- 1 ½ cup bean sprouts
- 1 bunch Thai basil
- 1 chopped shallot
- 2 lime, each cut into 4 wedges
- ½ cup hoisin sauce
- ½ cup chili garlic sauce or Sriracha
- 1 pack of rice noodles
- Fish balls (optional)
1. Clean the beef bones and place it in a large stockpot with water. After 5 minutes, remove the water and clean the beef bone under the cold running water. This way you are removing the excess fat on the beef bone. Don’t worry about the flavour, it won’t go away.
2. Throw in your beef bones and the flank steak in a large stockpot with 6 quartz water. Bring to boil.
3. While your beef bones and flank steak are in the process of boiling, grill the star anise, cinnamon, ginger, onion for aroma using your stove top and put the spices aside*. Brace yourself because the aroma of the spices are beyond this world. It will honestly make you want to cook pho every week. Grab empty tea bag filters and put the grilled spices inside. You may have two or three filled tea bags afterward.
*If you don’t want to use the stove top to grill your spices, you are more than welcome to use the oven. Just pay extreme attention. You don’t want to burn it.
4. Put the tea bags with spices in a stockpot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for 6 to 10 hours. Constantly remove fat on the top of the broth whenever you are checking. Season your broth to taste with fish sauce and salt. If needed, add beef cubes for more flavour (optional).
5. Remove the spices tea bags and beef bones, strain the broth into a saucepan or large plastic container, set aside and place it in the fridge overnight to extract excess fat from the broth.
6. In the morning or the next day, remove the excess oil of the broth on the top of the pan or container. This process is important to avoid oily beef broth. Once all the excess oil is removed, bring the stock to simmer.
7. Place rice noodles in a large bowl filled with room temperature water and allow to soak for 10 minutes. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and after the noodles have soaked, place it in the boiling water for 1 minute and set aside.
8. Prepare the toppings and set aside on a plate: bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, hoisin sauce, chopped shallots and chili garlic or Sriracha.
9. On a bowl, place a serving of rice noodles top with thinly sliced sirloin, cooked sliced fish balls (optional), green onions and cilantro and pour the hot broth over the top and serve.
Stir and let the broth sit until the sliced sirloin is no longer pink. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime and sauces based on your preference.
Perfect for house gathering with friends or family. Better enjoyed with Vietnamese Thai Tea or coconut fruit shake.
Enjoy! I hope you get to enjoy this homemade Vietnamese Pho as much as I do.
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Main Photo Source: Vietnamese Recipes
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. Stay tuned for more updates!
Laura Lushington
08/02/2017Bookmarking this recipe!
Jenna
02/26/2018Oh! This looks flat out AMAZING! And doesn’t seem like a super complicated recipe! I haven’t planned dinners this week yet, so I might add this to the menu!
Luci
02/27/2018This looks so delicious. It looks like an easy recipe to do but a lot of ingredients. I’ll have to get this a try.
Jeuelle
02/27/2018I love cooking prep videos! Pho is one of our favorites as everyone can add their own favorite ingredients after I’ve made the broth!
Dee Clarke
02/27/2018Don’t you just love how travelling opens up a whole new world of flavours? One of the best parts of visiting other lands is the food IMO.
Elizabeth O
02/27/2018This looks like an easy to make recipe. I like food that you can stew overnight or all day while you are at work. Very quick and easy for on-the-go people
Brittany
02/27/2018This looks delicious! I’ll definitely have to add it to our week night routine, thanks for sharing!
Kelly Edgar
02/27/2018This looks so tasty! I love Pho but I have never made my own. I will try and use your tips 🙂 thank you
Hey Sharonoox
02/27/2018I love a good yummy Vietnamese Pho and have always wanted to cook my own. This Pho looks so good, I’m going to try make this for my family. Thanks for the recipe!
Camryn
02/27/2018This looks delicious! I’ll be saving this. Thank you!
Crystal
02/27/2018My husband would absolutely love this if I could manage the recipe.
Holly Lasha
02/27/2018Ooh…I LOVE Pho. I am always thinking I’ll make it, but never end up doing it. This I want to try!!
Annie
02/27/2018Oh yum! It sounds spicy, but I’d love to make it!
Rachel
02/27/2018My husband has been asking me to figure out how to make this. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Bianca Dottin
02/27/2018This looks delicious and easy to make! Definitely going to add this to our menu next month to give it a try. I’m a huge fan of Pho but have never tried to make it.
tara
02/28/2018this sounds phenom! i’m such a fan of pho!
Lisa Rios
02/28/2018Mmmm looks wonderful – we love PHO… and I bet it’s even better homemade