Step-by-Step Guide to Making Pho

The beauty of Vietnamese pho, a vermicelli noodle soup, is that it's a choose-your-own-adventure of layered, contrasting flavors. This particular recipe is a favorite of F&W's former test kitchen supervisor, Marcia Kiesel, who cooked and ate pho all over Vietnam while working on the Simple Art of Vietnamese Cooking, her book with chef Binh Duong. The broth is flavored with rich, beefy oxtails, charred aromatic vegetables like onion and ginger, and a variety of spices, then spooned into bowls with the noodles. To punch up the soup's deep, meaty flavor, diners choose from a buffet of condiments and add-ins — hot Sriracha chile sauce, fragrant sesame-chile oil, lime wedges, and fresh green herbs like cilantro and basil — tailoring the exact balance of spiciness, tartness, and freshness to taste.

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Step One

How to Make Pho — Photo © Matthew Armendariz - mattbites.com

In a large soup pot, cover the oxtails or short ribs with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Drain off the water. Add the 18 cups of water and bring to a boil.

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Step Two

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a small nonstick skillet. Add the onion and ginger, cut sides down, and cook over moderately high heat until richly browned.

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Step Three

Add the onion and ginger to the pot along with the bay leaves, cinnamon sticks, rock sugar, and 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Put the cloves, star anise, and fennel seeds in a tea ball or tie them up in a piece of cheesecloth. Add them to the pot and simmer, skimming occasionally, until the oxtails are tender, about 2 hours.

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Step Four

Strain the broth in a large sieve set over a heatproof bowl.

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Step Five

Remove the meat from the oxtails and chill.

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Step Six

Put the rice vermicelli in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let the vermicelli soak until pliable, about 20 minutes.

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Step Seven

Bring the broth to a simmer. Place the thinly sliced raw beef in a large strainer and lower it into the broth for 4 seconds.

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Step Eight

Working in 6 batches, put the vermicelli in the strainer and lower it into a pot of boiling water for 30 seconds, or until the vermicelli is barely tender.

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Step Nine

Transfer the sliced beef and vermicelli to soup bowls. Ladle about 1 1/2 cups of the broth over each bowl of vermicelli and add the chilled oxtail meat.

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