Very good recipe, definitely worth the time taken to prepare the broth... However one tip to make it even healthier: prepare the broth the day before, and leave it over night on the refrigerator. Once it cools down all the fat from them meat will be on the top, so you just have to skim it out, before warming it again to before adding the toppings.
i haven't actually made this according to this recipe yet but my mum's been making it for years and it's great to see a recipe that actually tells you to make the broth, cause this recipe is all about the broth! it's not key to use ox-tali or beef knuckle, just as long as you have enough large beef bones. it's best to actually 'clean' the bones before you cook- either some vinegar or whisky with lots of hot water-gives a cleaner taste and a clearer broth. i also always grill the onion, anise, cinnamon, ginger and peppercorns first and place all in cheese cloth bag. finally a tip for preparing, to cook noodles place soaked noodles in a sieve and place in boiling water(stir if needed) til the noodles are just soft, make one bowl at a time and serve steaming hot. enjoy!
Fantastic authentic pho bo recipe. My husband and I spent a whole month in Vietnam and this tastes perfect. I halved the water amount to 2 gallons. I only used beef neck bones for a nice clear broth. I didn't use the radish. In cheese cloth I used Anise seed, ground cinnamon, ground peppercorns, and a lot more cloves. I about doubled all the spices as I'm used to very aromatic pho. I added the tablespoon of fish sauce and sugar and simmered for the 6 hours. Paper thin sirloin was great! Loaded it with only cilantro and green onions and noodles just like in Hanoi and this dish was delish! Thank you for such a great recipe to play with!
This was my first time making pho and it was really good! BUTTTT I have some recommendations that I think will make a load of difference. My soup didn't really have the "pho" flavor entirely, so I had put some "pho beef flavor" bullions into my pho. I just added one cube at a time to taste. That really brought out the pho flavor. (and these cubes are super cheap! 79 cents :) !!!) I also took my onions, cut them in half, wrapped them in foil, and put it on the stove to cook them a bit. Also, I ended up finding a packet of "pho seasoning" that had star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and other ingredients in there so I got that instead. It came with a seasoning bag too that you can throw right into the soup base. I also used an extra slice of ginger. Also, I could not find beef knuckle, so a nice vietnamese lady told me to get beef bones instead and it worked out great. Oh and you MUST get the fresh noodles that come in the regridgerator section, this will make a HUGE difference in the taste of your noodles. I originally bought the dried flat pho noodles and I did not like them at all. My boyfriend (who is vietnamese) told me to get the fresh ones from the cold section and those were like the ones you get from the store. =) Hope my review helps some folks! =)
I normally don't make pho with 'radish' in them, so I gave this recipe a try. The radish gave a taste other than pho. This is close to authethic but leave the radish out.
I loved this Pho recipe! It turned out wonderfully it actually tasted like pho! I have made pho before (even using the predone cube sachets and beef broth to try to spice it up) and it has turned out miserable and tasteless. But this recipe tasted almost identical to my fave pho restraunt (I am proud of myself!). I ommitted the daikon since I didn't have it on hand and I didn't use the oxtail. I used some large meaty bones from the butcher at the local asian market and they were perfect for a half sized recipe. I followed everything else to a "T" and it was well worth the 6 1/2 hours it took the broth to cook and it smelled wonderful (after I added the spices). Even my picky roommate loved it! (and he hates my cooking most of the time!:P)
I like vietnam pho but I don't like MSG taste. This is healty and wonderful recipe. I often use this recipe. I just substitute beef brisket for beef knuckle and beef oxtail. Brisket is easy to buy and exellent taste for soup.
I'm pretty new to pho and don't pretend to be an expert on the subject but of the few recipes for pho on allrecipes this is the most authentic imo. Good pho is all about the broth - it should be rich but light meaty but fragrant; crumbling a beef bouillon cube into some hot water and tossing in a sliced onion isn't going to cut it! Personally I omit the oxtail because they're just too expensive and I use whatever meaty beef bones I can get at the store. Like any good stock the key is simmering it slowly for as long as you can - I aim for 3 or 4 hours. I personally don't make it with daikon but I don't think regular radish would be a bad substitute. You can't beat pho from a genuine Vietnamese restaurant but this is a decent recipe to satisfy a craving! Thanks!
Pretty good but suggest "sweating" a large onion over an open fire and add to pot
