Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Pho is a Vietnamese staple that’s gained popularity worldwide. You’ve probably seen it on restaurant menus, and you may wonder if it’s possible to learn how to make pho at home. The good news is that you won’t need to buy any specialty ingredients to make a steaming bowl of Vietnamese pho. However, making pho broth from scratch is a time commitment. It simmers for several hours to gain its deep, aromatic character, but it’s 100% worth it when you take that first sip!

We chatted with food blogger Julie Tran Deily of The Little Kitchen to discuss all things pho, including her tips for making this noodle soup at home. Pho was one of Julie’s favorite dishes growing up in a Vietnamese-American family. “To me, pho is comfort food,” Julie says. “I grew up eating pho for special occasions, when my mom would make it for my whole family.” When she eats it now, she adds, “It brings back so many memories.”

What Is Pho?

Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a Vietnamese noodle soup made with an aromatic beef broth, rice noodles, sliced meat and garnishes like fresh bean sprouts, sliced chilis, hoisin sauce, Sriracha or fresh herbs. Two of the most popular versions are beef (pho bo) and chicken (pho ga), but pho can be made with pork, seafood or vegetarian ingredients. The soup broth’s signature flavor comes from warming spices, including cinnamon, cardamom and star anise, which lend an earthy, aromatic taste.

The origin story of pho—and why it has become so popular in Vietnam—isn’t completely clear, but the soup has a special place in Vietnamese culture. It’s considered the country’s national dish, and its warming, comforting taste has won over the hearts and stomachs of people from all corners of the globe.

How to Make Pho at Home

Making beef pho is relatively straightforward, although the broth takes several hours to prepare. Luckily, pho broth can be made in advance, so you can make it a few days ahead of time. Here are some of our top tips for homemade pho success.

• Use both meat and bones: The broth needs meat and bones to become a bold soup base. Use a combination of marrow bones, meaty bones and beefy cuts like brisket.
• Soak the meat and bones overnight: Soaking the meat with wine, salt and ginger adds flavor and helps it retain moisture as it simmers. Soaking the bones with cider vinegar helps draw out myoglobin, the protein that gives meat its color. It can make the broth gray and cloudy.
• Don’t skip the blanching step: Blanching (or parboiling) the meat and bones removes impurities, ensuring the pho broth becomes crystal clear.
• Skim the foam: Bones and meat release proteins as they cook, which rise to the top of the broth as foam. The foam is perfectly safe to eat, but removing it keeps the pho broth clear and helps it taste cleaner.
• Toast the spices: Toasting the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and coriander blooms the spices, waking them up and releasing their aromatic compounds.

Pho Ingredients

• Banh Pho rice noodles: These thick, flat rice noodles have a delicate yet chewy texture that’s perfectly slurpable in noodle soup recipes. If you can find fresh rice noodles at the supermarket, all the better!
• Dam toi: This pickled garlic vinegar is a garnish for northern-style pho. The assertive, spicy, tangy condiment is made with garlic, salt, white vinegar, Thai chiles and sugar.
• Northern-style garnishes: For northern-style pho, finish each bowl with dam toi, lime wedges, sliced green onions, minced Thai chilis and an onion, sliced into strips and soaked in ice water to remove its pungent bite.
• Southern-style garnishes: For southern-style pho, finish each bowl with fresh mung bean sprouts, hoisin sauce, Sriracha hot sauce, lime wedges, Thai chiles and fresh herbs like Thai basil, cilantro or mint. If you can find it, use culantro (aka sawtooth herb or ngo om), which has a more citrus-forward, peppery flavor than cilantro.

Pho Broth Ingredients

• Beef: Meaty cuts like beef top sirloin steak and fresh beef brisket are simmered in the broth until tender. Then they’re chilled, sliced and added to the finished bowl of soup. Make sure you buy fresh beef brisket, not corned beef brisket.
• Beef bones: The best pho broth is made with a combination of meaty bones and marrow bones, like the femur (leg) or knuckle bones.
• Cider vinegar and white wine: These acidic ingredients are used to soak the beef and beef bones, pulling out impurities that can lead to a murky pho broth.
• Onion and ginger: Unpeeled, whole ginger and skin-on, whole onions are roasted to add depth and complexity to the pho broth. Peeled and sliced ginger is also used to season the meat.
• MSG: Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is a food additive similar to salt, but which adds umami flavor instead of salinity. The FDA considers MSG to be safe, but feel free to leave it out if you’re not a fan.
• Rock sugar: Sugar balances the savory beef flavors and accentuates the warming spices. Rock sugar is slightly less sweet than granulated sugar, which works as a substitution.
• Pho broth spices: Cinnamon sticks, star anise, cardamom pods and coriander seeds are fragrant, warming spices that set pho broth apart from regular beef broth. Use whole spices instead of ground spices, which aren’t as fresh and aromatic (and which are near impossible to remove from the broth).

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the dam toi (pickled garlic vinegar)

To make the garnish for northern-style pho, brine the sliced garlic by combining it with 1 cup of the water and 3 teaspoons of the salt in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, then drain it.

In a small jar, combine the brined garlic and vinegar. Heat the remaining 1 cup water until it’s hot, then add it to the jar. Stir in the sugar, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the chiles. Cover the dam toi and let it stand at room temperature overnight.

Step 2: Soak the meat and bones

In a large saucepan, cover the beef bones with 2 liters of water. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and cider vinegar. In another large saucepan, cover the sirloin steak and brisket with the remaining 1 liter of water, remaining 2 tablespoons of salt, wine and sliced ginger. Cover both saucepans and refrigerate them for two hours. Drain, and discard the ginger from the boneless meat.

Step 3: Blanch the meat and bones

Add enough cold water to each saucepan to cover the bones and meat. Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil for three minutes, then drain both saucepans. Rinse the bones and boneless beef under cold water.

Step 4: Simmer the broth

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

In a stockpot, cover the bones and boneless beef with enough cold water to cover them completely (about 5 liters). Bring the water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer the meat, uncovered, occasionally skimming and discarding any foam that rises to the top. Simmer until the foam starts to collect more slowly, about 30 minutes.

Step 5: Roast the onion and ginger

Meanwhile, arrange the whole onion and ginger on an ungreased baking sheet. Roast them until they’re slightly charred, 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and discard the charred skins. Set the roasted onions and ginger aside.

Step 6: Toast the spices

In a dry small skillet, toast the cinnamon sticks, anise, cardamom pods and coriander over medium heat until they’re aromatic, one to two minutes, stirring frequently. Allow the spices to cool.

Place the cooled spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather the corners of the cloth to enclose the spices, and tie the bundle securely with string.

Step 7: Add the aromatics to the broth

Once the foam is no longer collecting on the surface of the broth, add the roasted onion, ginger and spice bag to the stockpot. Stir in the salt, MSG (if using) and rock sugar. Simmer, uncovered, until the beef is tender, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Step 8: Chill the beef

With tongs, transfer the beef to a large bowl, and allow it to cool slightly. Wrap the beef tightly in foil and refrigerate it.

Step 9: Continue simmering the broth

Continue simmering the broth, uncovered, until it’s light golden brown and fragrant, two to five hours. Stir occasionally and remove any foam that collects on the surface.

Editor’s Tip: The longer it simmers, the more concentrated the broth. The liquid level will reduce, and it’s OK if the bones aren’t entirely covered by the end of the simmering time. Before serving, season the broth to taste with salt or fish sauce.

Step 10: Warm the noodles and assemble the pho

Cook the banh pho rice noodles according to the package directions, and set them aside. Remove the beef from the refrigerator, and thinly slice it against the grain.

For each serving, add an individual portion of noodles and beef to a small colander. Lower the colander into the simmering broth until the beef and noodles are heated through. Add the warm beef and noodles to a serving bowl. Top with additional broth, about 1 cup per bowl. Serve with garnishes as desired.

How to Serve Pho

Eating pho starts with building the perfect bowl. When it comes to adding flavors to a bowl of pho, Julie sticks with the classics. “I like to squeeze some lime and add cilantro, green onions and Thai basil. I grew up adding Sriracha and hoisin sauce to my pho, to taste, but I know some people don’t think it needs it.”

There’s no one right way to do it, but two popular ways of serving are the northern-style version from Hanoi (pho bac) and the southern version from Ho Chi Minh City (pho nam). Pho bac uses fewer garnishes and focuses on the delicate broth. It’s garnished simply with pickled garlic vinegar (dam toi) and chiles. Pho nam is served with dollops of Sriracha or hoisin sauce and a pile of herbs and veggies, like Thai basil, mint leaves, crunchy bean sprouts, thinly sliced onions and cilantro.

How to Eat Pho

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Julie’s favorite way to eat pho is with chopsticks in one hand and a soup spoon in the other. She uses chopsticks to pick up the rice noodles and a soup spoon to slurp up the broth. And yes, she says it’s actually polite to slurp up your soup! “When you’re eating pho, the louder the slurping noises, the better,” she says. “It’s a compliment to the cook and telling them how much you love it!”

Pho Variations

• Use a shortcut: Instead of making the pho broth from scratch, use a store-bought beef stock to save time. Simmer the stock with the toasted spices and roasted onion and ginger to add depth. Depending on how long you plan to simmer it, you’ll need 9 to 12 cups of beef broth.
• Make it with chicken: For chicken pho, make the pho broth with a whole cut-up chicken or an assortment of bone-in chicken pieces.

How to Store Pho

Store the dam toi, broth and noodles in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. Storing the leftover noodles in the broth can cause them to become soggy. Before storing the broth, remove and discard the bones, onion, ginger and spice bundle. Transfer it to an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to three days.

Can you make pho ahead of time?

Pho is a recipe that is easily made in advance because each bowl is assembled right before eating. The exception is the noodles, which should be prepared right before eating.

Can you freeze pho?

You can freeze pho broth in a freezer-safe container for up to three months. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight. We don’t recommend freezing the dam toi, noodles or garnishes.

How do you reheat pho?

To reheat pho, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat in a large saucepan. Reheat the noodles and beef by lowering an individual portion into the simmering broth until heated through.

Pho Tips

How do you cook rice noodles for pho?

Rice noodle cooking instructions can vary, as some rice noodles are fresh and others are dried, so we recommend following the package directions. Some packages recommend soaking the noodles in cold or hot water, while others recommend simmering them in boiling water. It’s always best to cook the noodles separately from the soup broth in recipes like pho, Thai chicken noodle soup or coconut curry chicken soup. The noodles are sometimes coated in a starch that can change the broth’s flavor and consistency.

What is the best meat for pho?

We use beef brisket and top sirloin in this beef pho recipes. These beefy cuts of meat add a rich flavor to the broth and hold up well so they can be sliced and served with the finished soup. Chuck or rump roast also work, but they will have a tougher texture. For an even meatier pho, you can add other meats to the bowl. Try thinly sliced steak, shredded chicken, cooked shrimp or the meatballs from Vietnamese chicken meatball soup.

What do you serve with pho?

Pho is filling on its own, but you can always add a few sides to round out the meal. “Pho is such a treat that you don’t need to serve it with anything except herbs like Thai basil and bean sprouts,” Julie explains, “but when I go to a Vietnamese restaurant, I like to order fresh spring rolls to have as an appetizer.”

Note: Ashley Thuthao Keng Dam, M.Sc., Ph.D, and Truc Huynh also contributed to this article.