Pho Bo – Vietnamese beef soup

Ingredients for 5 servings:

• 1 kg beef bones, marrow bones and soup bones
• 300 g beef, e.g. boiled beef or beef brisket
• 1 onion(s), halved
• 1 piece(s) ginger, approx. 5 cm, sliced
• 1 cinnamon stick(s)
• 3 star anise
• 3 carnations
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 ½ liters of water
• 500 g rice noodles (pho noodles)
• 250 g beef fillet(s), cut into wafer-thin slices
• 1 spring onion(s), cut into fine rings
• 1 handful of coriander leaves
• 1 handful of Thai basil
• 1 handful of bean sprouts
• 1 lime(s), quartered
• 1 small red chili pepper(s), cut into rings
• e.g. Hoisin sauce
• e.g. Sriracha sauce

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 5 hours; Total time approx. 5 hours 45 minutes

from the show “The Perfect Dinner” on VOX from 10.03.2025

First, cover the beef bones and broth in a large pot with cold water and bring to a boil. After simmering for about five minutes, drain the water and rinse the bones under clean water to ensure a clear broth. In a pan, roast the halved onion and sliced ​​ginger root without oil until dark brown. This imparts a smoky flavor to the broth. Place the cleaned bones and broth in a large pot with 2.5 liters of fresh water. Add the onion, ginger, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, and coriander seeds. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for at least three hours, skimming off any foam occasionally. After about two hours, remove the broth, let it cool, and slice it thinly. Finally, strain the broth through a fine sieve and season with fish sauce, salt, and sugar. While the broth is simmering, prepare the rice noodles according to the package instructions and divide evenly among soup bowls. Place the raw beef fillet slices and the cooked beef slices on top of the hot noodles. Pour the hot broth over the noodles and meat so that the raw meat cooks directly in the bowl. To serve, garnish the pho with spring onions, fresh cilantro leaves, Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chili. If desired, add hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce to season the soup. A useful tip: the longer the broth simmers, the more intense its flavor becomes—five to six hours is ideal. When preparing the beef fillet, it is recommended to freeze the meat slightly before slicing so that it can be sliced ​​thinly. For a vegan version, you can substitute vegetable broth with shiitake mushrooms and soy sauce instead of the beef broth and serve the soup with fried tofu. Philip prepared this recipe as a main course in the show “The Perfect Dinner” – Day 1 in Bremen, on Monday, March 10, 2025.