This delicious hot bowl of easy Homemade Pho will be on your table in less than 40 minutes! You won’t believe how good it tastes!
Easy but damn tasty
Firstly, let me be upfront and tell you that this shortcut Pho does not beat a real slow-cooked one that has been simmering on the stove for over 3 hours or longer. However, in saying this, it’s absolutely delicious! It’s guaranteed to hit the spot and satisfy any Pho cravings!
My husband (Tomasi) and sister (Nara) are Pho fanatics. They’ve claimed that this easy homemade Pho version is better than some storebought Pho and it also tastes authentic!
That’s not surprising as this recipe was adapted from renowned chef Shannon Bennett’s Beef Pho recipe. I have changed the toppings but kept the broth pretty much the same as his.
Even though Shannon is a renowned chef, I was still skeptical about the outcome of this super easy Pho. That’s because I have made Pho from scratch before and it took me over 3 hours!
When I first made this soup I got excited as the smell of Pho hit my nose and when I tried the broth I was ecstatic! I couldn’t believe I found a recipe that gives us bowls of steaming hot and delicious Pho in less than 40 minutes!
This Pho comes alive when you squeeze lime wedges, throw in fresh herbs and crispy bean sprouts and hit it with sriracha. Give it a quick mix with your chopstick and there’s nothing more to do except SLURP AND DEVOUR!
My version is a ‘Combination Pho’ because that’s the way my sister likes her Pho, it has beef balls and tripe added with the beef slices. Nara introduced us to eating Pho this way so that’s how we like it here but if you don’t that’s okay because I’ve included tweaks for ‘Beef Pho’
My husband is not ‘tripe’in
Let me tell you about this guy named Tomasi, yes, THAT guy I ended up marrying.
My husband has eaten and tried all sorts of weird and whacky food, food that would make me and many other people gag. From Tarantulas and giant rats in Cambodia to fertilised developing duck egg in Vietnam and even BBQ impalas in Botswana.
So here’s the thing, Mr ‘Eats Everything’ won’t touch tripe. He despises it and when he found some in his Pho he screwed his face like a disgusted 5-year-old. He scooped out the tripe pieces out of his bowl and placed them into mine. Then, he has the gall to call my sister and me BARBARIC for eating it!
Tripe to me is ok, do I crave for it? probably not! I’ve never been disgusted by tripe as mum fed it to us when we were little. I only found out that tripe was from a cow’s stomach when I was older.
I have included adjustment in the recipe if you wish to skip the tripe and beef balls and use beef slices only.
Our Vietnam trip 2017
Tomasi and I booked a guided tour to Vietnam for 2 weeks in 2017. We don’t usually do tours as it doesn’t always give us the flexibility to do what we wanted.
We were awfully excited as we love Vietnamese cuisine and couldn’t wait to eat up a storm!
In the two weeks, we visited Hanoi, Hue, Nha Trang, Hội An, Ho Chi Minh City, Hạ Long Bay and the Mekong Delta.
1. The gorgeous Hạ Long Bay where we stayed a night on a houseboat 2. Markets at Ho Chi Minh City 3. Pho soup in Nha Trang 4. Relaxing cocktails at An Bang Beach
The day tours were long and hectic, so much that it left us exhausted but we saw so much in such little time so this was to be expected.
When we had free time we loved exploring their markets and try street food. To us, these street food vendors that served food on the footpath in little chairs had the tastiest food to offer. If it wasn’t for Tomasi getting a bad stomach bug from eating a Bánh mì we would have only eaten street food.
We had a great time and would love to visit again but this time on our own and not on a tour. Our highlight was beautiful Hội An and Hạ Long Bay. Lots of beautiful and lasting memories were created on this trip to Vietnam.
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Ingredients for Easy Homemade Pho
Beef slices – For convenience I used frozen wagyu beef slices from my local Asian grocery store. For fresh cuts use thinly sliced beef brisket, fillets or rump. If you wish to use only beef (not adding beef balls or tripe) you’ll need 400gms (140z) of beef in total.
Beef balls (optional) – These can be found in Asian grocery stores, they’re usually chilled in the fridge section.
Honeycomb Tripe (optional) – I was able to get some cleaned tripe from my local butcher. I’ve also seen sliced frozen tripe sold at some Asian grocery stores.
Dried flat rice noodles (rice stick) – Not all rice noodles are created equal. Some brands of rice noodles turn into mush and break into several short strands once heated. My favourite brand is ‘Rose’ (not sponsored) their noodles have a nice texture and doesn’t break as easy.
Beef stock – As the stock is the heart of any good soup, use a good quality liquid beef stock or bone broth, it’s often called ‘real stock’.
Chicken powder (optional) – Adding chicken powder or a stock cube adds more depth to the broth. I love using the Knorr Chicken Powder (not sponsored).
For the optional toppings
All the above topping are optional. However, if you want to turn a good soup into an amazing one I highly recommend squeezing 1 or 2 lime wedges in, bean sprouts for crunch and coriander for freshness. If you love a spicy soup, add in some sliced fresh chillies and a squirt of sriracha. Trust me it makes a world of difference having at least these toppings.
How to make Easy Homemade Pho
Step by step guide with photos
If possible, use a mesh steel ball or a filter bag to seal in the spices for easy removal. Place all the broth ingredients into a large stockpot on high heat. Once the broth comes to a boil add in the tripe (if using) then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste the broth, add salt and pepper if needed, leave the broth on low heat whilst preparing the noodles.
Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and submerge them in boiling water for 5 minutes or so to slightly soften. Rinse the noodles in cold water, drain and set aside. Do not let the noodles soften completely at this stage, it should be pliable but still hard.
Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil, add the beef balls (if using) and let it cook for a few minutes. Using a strainer add in a serving of noodles and submerge it completely in the broth for a minute or so until the noodles soften. Do not overcook the noodles as they’ll break.
Build up your Pho
Strain the noodles and carefully place them in a serving bowl, top the noodles with raw beef, beef balls and tripe. Use a ladle to pour the hot broth into the bowl. This should cook the beef, however, you may wish to cook the beef prior in the stockpot for a minute or so, I do this when using frozen beef. Repeat this process for the remaining bowls.
Serve Pho with your preferred toppings. I highly recommend squeezing 1 or 2 lime wedges in, bean sprouts for crunch and coriander for freshness. If you love a spicy soup, add in some sliced fresh chillies and a squirt of sriracha.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
A Third-Party Application calculated the calories and nutritional information. Please use this as an approximate guide only.
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Cheers (I’ll drink to that) – Cat Tre
Easy Homemade Pho
Ingredients
- 250 gm beef (very thinly sliced) (NOTE 1)
- 12 small beef balls (optional) (NOTE 2)
- 200 gm honeycomb tripe (optional, sliced into strips) (NOTE 3)
- 200 gm Dried flat rice noodles (NOTE 4)
Broth
- 2 litres salt-reduced beef stock (low sodium) (NOTE 5)
- 500 ml water
- 30 gm ginger (sliced thinly)
- 3 clove garlic (bruised)
- 4 whole cloves
- 2 star anise
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 2 tsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp chicken stock powder (optional) (NOTE 6)
- salt and pepper to season
To Serve (all optional)
- small red chillies (sliced thinly)
- Sriracha or chilli garlic sauce
- Coriander (leaves only) (cilantro)
- Bean sprouts
- lime wedges
- Spring onion (sliced thinly) (green onions, scallions)
- brown onion (sliced very thinly)
Instructions
- If possible, use a mesh steel ball or a filter bag to seal in the spices for easy removal. Place all the broth ingredients into a large stockpot on high heat. Once the broth comes to a boil add in the tripe (if using) then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste the broth, add salt and pepper if needed.
- Place the noodles in a large heatproof bowl and submerge them in boiling water for 5 minutes or so to slightly soften. Rinse the noodles in cold water, drain and set aside. Do not let the noodles soften completely at this stage, it should be pliable but still hard.
- Increase the heat to high and bring the broth to a boil, add the beef balls (if using) and let it cook for a few minutes. Using a strainer add in a serving of noodles and submerge it completely in the broth for a minute or so until the noodles soften. Do not overcook the noodles as they'll break.
- Strain the noodles and carefully place them in a serving bowl, top the noodles with raw beef, beef balls and tripe. Use a ladle to pour the hot broth into the bowl. This should cook the beef, however, you may wish to cook the beef prior in the stockpot for a minute or so, I do this when using frozen beef. Repeat this process for the remaining bowls.
- Serve Pho with your preferred toppings. I highly recommend squeezing 1 or 2 lime wedges in, bean sprouts for crunch and coriander for freshness. If you love a spicy soup, add in some sliced fresh chillies and a squirt of sriracha.
