Pho Bo
Star anise-cinnamon broth, rice noodles, thin-sliced beef and herbs and lime.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
The bowl is built at the table - basil, sprouts, lime, and chiles are the difference between a good bowl and a great one. Add a squeeze of lime first; everything else changes character once it hits the broth.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 8 cupsstore-bought beef broth
- ¾ lbthin-sliced eye of round beefsliced paper-thin against the grain (freeze 20 min first for clean slices)
- 12 ozdried rice noodles (banh pho, medium)
- 1 mediumyellow onionhalved (skin on)
- 3 inchfresh gingersliced lengthwise (skin on)
- 4star anise pods
- 1cinnamon stick
- 4whole cloves
- 1 tspcoriander seeds
- 3 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbsprock sugar (or light brown sugar)
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 1 bunchThai basilleaves picked (garnish)
- ½ cupfresh cilantroroughly chopped (garnish)
- 2 cupsbean sproutsrinsed (garnish)
- 3scallionsthinly sliced (garnish)
- 2limecut into wedges
- 1jalapeñothinly sliced (table heat)
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 460calories
- 32gprotein
- 58gcarbs
- 10gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Freeze the beef 20 minutes, then slice paper-thin against the grain.
- Halve the onion (leave skin on) and slice ginger lengthwise.
- Pick basil leaves, chop cilantro, slice scallions, wedge limes, slice jalapeño.
- Soak rice noodles in hot tap water 30 min while broth simmers.
Char aromatics
Place the halved onion and ginger cut-side down in a dry skillet over high heat. Char 4-5 min per side until blackened in spots - this is what gives pho its smoky depth. Don't skip.
9 min · hands onToast spices
Add star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and coriander seeds to the same skillet. Toast 60 sec until very fragrant.
1 min · hands onSimmer broth
Pour broth into stockpot. Add charred onion and ginger, toasted spices, fish sauce, rock sugar, and salt. Bring to a low simmer and cook 30 min uncovered to fortify the flavor.
30 min · hands offStrain and cook noodles
Strain broth through fine-mesh sieve back into pot - discard solids. Keep broth at a hard simmer. Drain the soaked noodles and add to broth for 60 sec until just tender. Lift out with tongs and divide into 4 bowls.
1 min · hands onBuild bowls
Lay raw beef slices over the noodles in each bowl. Ladle screaming-hot broth directly over the beef - the heat poaches it in seconds. Top with scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately with basil, sprouts, lime, and jalapeño on the side.
3 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Use chicken broth base instead; thin-slice raw chicken and poach 60 sec in the hot broth before adding to bowl.
Sear cubed tofu 4 min until golden; use vegetable broth base instead. Adds about 5 minutes.
Also add 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms to the broth for depth. Pan-sear before adding to the bowls. Also add 1 tsp white miso.
What keeps
Broth keeps 4 days, freezes 2 months. Cook noodles fresh per bowl - they go mushy reheated.
Slice the raw beef just before serving so it stays pink under the hot broth.
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