Beef Pho
Vietnamese noodle soup: a clear, spiced beef broth over rice noodles and thin beef, with a plate of fresh herbs.
Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.
Pho is the famous noodle soup of Vietnam: a clear, fragrant beef broth scented with star anise, cinnamon and charred ginger, poured over soft rice noodles and paper-thin slices of beef. Everyone finishes their own bowl at the table with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, jalapeño and a little hoisin or chili sauce.
A traditional pho broth simmers beef bones for many hours. This weeknight version starts with a good store-bought beef broth: you char the onion and ginger in a skillet on the stove, and the Thermomix® TM7™ simmers them with the whole spices inside the simmering basket, so they lift out in one move. The boiling broth then cooks the raw beef right in each bowl.
Made in the Thermomix® TM7™
Beef Pho
Makes: 4 large bowls
- Prep25 min
- Cook45 min
- Total1 h 10 min
- Serves4
Ingredients
For the broth
For the bowls
To serve
Instructions
- Put the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes so it is easier to slice. Meanwhile, heat a dry cast iron skillet on the stove over medium-high heat and char the onion and ginger, cut side down, for 8 to 10 minutes, until blackened in spots. Add the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and fennel to the skillet for the last 2 minutes to toast them.
- Pull off any loose, burnt onion skin. Place the onion, ginger and toasted spices in the simmering basket and insert it into the mixing bowl. Add the broth, fish sauce, sugar and salt.
- Put the measuring cup in place and cook 35 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1.
- Meanwhile, cook the rice noodles in a pot of boiling water on the stove according to the package, usually 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, rinse with warm water and divide among 4 large bowls.
- Slice the semi-frozen beef across the grain as thin as you can and lay the raw slices over the noodles with the red onion.
- Lift out the simmering basket with the spatula and discard the aromatics. Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or salt if needed, then cook 3 min/100°C (212°F)/speed 1 so it is at a full boil.
- Ladle the boiling broth straight over the beef in each bowl: the heat cooks the thin slices in seconds. Top with green onions and cilantro and serve with the plate of bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, jalapeño and sauces.
Tips
- Prefer your beef well done? Dip the slices in the boiling broth with a ladle for 30 seconds before you put them in the bowls.
- Thai basil is sold at Asian markets. If you can't find it, use regular basil or fresh mint.
- Make ahead: the broth keeps 4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Store the noodles, beef and herbs separately and bring the broth back to a full boil before serving.
