How To Make Pho: The Best Method for Most Home Cooks

There is no pleasure quite the same as tucking into a steaming bowl of hot homemade soup. Pho, a staple Vietnamese soup, is no exception. Much like miso to Japanese cooking and chicken noodle soup to American cooking, this soup is full of flavors to comfort and warm you up.

And while making pho at home might seem like a complex undertaking, in its most pure form, pho is nothing more than a beautiful broth, supple noodles, and the toppings you choose to add — which means many home cooks have the skills and tools they need to make a version to be proud of.

We combed through many recipes for making pho broth at home before settling on this method we’re sharing here. During our research, we found that most recipes can be divided into two schools.

But when we consider how to make the best pho for most home cooks, we find ourselves somewhere in the middle, with our focus squarely on producing a stand-out broth from scratch.

We spent the majority of our effort on making the best broth — not only because that’s where the bulk of the flavor comes from in this soup, but also because broth-making is a skill most home cooks excel at or are eager to perfect. The techniques of preparing the broth in this recipe are universal. You can learn them here and apply them to your next soup-making endeavor, whether it’s pho you’re making or a favorite chicken noodle soup.

Overall, our goal is to give you a recipe for a soup that’s just as satisfying as the bowl you dive into at your favorite Vietnamese restaurant, but with a method tailored for you, the home cook.

Andrea Nguyen

The exact origins of pho are murky, but Northern Vietnam is credited as the birthplace of pho. Pho traveled from Northern Vietnam to Southern Vietnam when the country split during the 1950s. Fleeing the Communist north, pho cooks introduced pho to Southern Vietnam as a way to make money. Street vendors selling pho are still a fixture of modern Vietnam.

Pho came to America during the late 1970s as both Northern and Southern Vietnamese residents fled the country after the fall of Saigon.

In America, pho was still cooked throughout Vietnamese communities and many pho shops were born. To please American patrons, the side dish of plentiful herbs, more beef, and condiments appeared beside the simple soup as the dish rose in popularity.

For more detailed information on the history of pho and all the intricacies and variables of this dish, seek out the work of Andrea Nguyen at Viet World Kitchen.

Andrea is the author of Into the Vietnamese Kitchen (Ten Speed Press, 2011) and the upcoming The Pho Cookbook (Ten Speed Press, February 2017).

There are many important steps to follow when it comes to cooking pho at home. We’re going to go through all of them in this cooking lesson. But before you even head to the kitchen, you’ve got to head to the store — because the first step to making really good pho at home starts with sourcing the ingredients.

Whether you head to your grocery store, order some of these ingredients online, of visit the Asian grocery store, below are the three ingredients to pay particular attention to. You can check out our detailed lists on what to look when shopping for your soup for all the specifics.

Bones: Beef knuckles are the preferred cut for beef pho broth because they are rich in connective tissue, but low on fat. The knuckle joints cook down in the broth, giving it body and a rich thickness that cannot be replicated. If you can’t find knuckle bones, go ahead and double the beef shank called for here. Some Asian markets sell packages labeled “beef soup bones,” which can be exclusively knuckles or a combination of knuckles and shank (or leg bones). If you find them, snatch those up for beef broth.

Fish sauce: Be wary of supermarket fish sauce, which can be full of additives and preservatives. Instead look for fish sauce with two or three ingredients on the label. Red Boat is a great entry-level brand if you get overwhelmed with the choices at the Asian market.

Read more: Five Expert Tips for Choosing the Best Fish Sauce

Noodles: Beef pho is traditionally made with rice noodles. These flat noodles are sometimes labeled “rice sticks” and sold both fresh (sometimes found in the freezer section) or dried. Look for dried rice noodles with a medium thickness — too thin and they’ll dissolve in the broth, but too thick means endless chewing.

• For clear broth, parboil the beef bones: A hallmark of good beef broth is a clear, unclouded broth, without a slick of oil on top. To avoid a cloudy broth, parboil and rinse the bones before making broth. Parboiling removes surface debris and some fat, leading the way for a clearer broth. If you must skip this step, scrub and rinse the bones well before building the stock.
• For the true pho flavor, char the aromatics: I’m going to ask you to do something contrary to all your culinary instincts. You have to burn the onions and ginger for this broth. Charring gives the broth a distinct, unmistakable smokey flavor and opens up the these aromatics for boiling.
• Toast the spices to bring warm flavor: Warming spices like anise and clove are essential to pho broth. Toasting the spices and tying them into a tidy bundle for simmering in the broth keep their flavors from becoming too pronounced. The result is a subtly spiced broth that can not be mistaken for plain beef broth.

A bowl of pho is made personal by what you put in your bowl. Up until then, all you’ve got is a spectacular broth, cooked rice noodles, and a tray of garnishes. Here’s how we recommend putting things together:

• The bowl: Grab a big one — you’re going to need it.
• The noodles: Add the noodles first; it’s easier to add them before the hot liquid goes in.
• The beef: Add this in with the noodles. Make sure you cut it very thin. Once you pour over the broth, it will begin to cook
• The broth: Ladle over the hot broth. It will continue to soften the noodles and cook the meat.
• The condiments: Assemble a tray of mint, scallions, bean sprouts, and limes. Don’t forget to grab a bottle of Sriracha and hoisin, too.

A word of advice: Since most of the efforts in making pho go into making a delicious broth, start off with the Sriracha and hoisin in a small bowls on the side for dipping meat into. If you like your broth teeming with the sweet heat of Sriracha and hoisin, stir both right into your bowl.

At this point in Project Pho, you’ve invested a decent amount of effort into procuring ingredients and making broth. Here’s how to make both of those investments pay future dividends.

• Fish sauce: Don’t shy away from using this pungent condiment in other soups, stir-fries, or even casseroles. Add fish sauce to salad dressings or use it anywhere you might typically added a dash of Worcestershire sauce.
• Hoisin sauce: Hoisin sauce is ideal for glazing meats or roasted vegetables, or using as a dip. The sweet and savory sauce can do double duty as both a marinade and a sauce for grilled meats. Store hoisin in the fridge after opening.
• Pho broth: Since a great deal of effort goes into making this flavorful broth, you’ll want to use it up or freeze it for future use rather than let even a drop go to waste. Pho broth can be enjoyed with rice stick noodles with or without more beef, so freezing the broth in single-serve portions is ideal. You can use the broth to braise other cuts of meat and vegetables — pho broth-braised pot roast makes a complex gravy that you’ll be making regularly once you try it.

This month, Kitchn is exploring the diverse world of Asian soups. Ramen, pho, and thom kha gai are some of our favorite dishes to eat out, but we tasked ourselves with mastering these soups at home — with equipment we already have and ingredients that are easily found. By pulling in expert advice, shopping smartly, and putting our broth and stock know-how to work, we’re bringing these infamous soups from their authentic origins into your home kitchens.