Pho
Pho took shape in northern Vietnam in the early twentieth century — likely in the Red River Delta towns before spreading to Hanoi — and carries traces of French colonial cooking in its bone broth method and long simmering time. The country is still divided on taste. Hanoi's version is spare and savoury: thin noodles, clean broth, minimal garnish. Ho Chi Minh City's is sweeter, richer, and arrives with a heap of herbs, bean sprouts, hoisin, and sriracha. The broth is everything. Onion and ginger are charred directly over a flame before entering the pot, building a caramel depth no raw aromatic can match. Three hours of bare simmering extracts the collagen from knuckle and marrow bones. The diner assembles the bowl.
Char the aromatics
Blackened onion and ginger over direct flame add caramel depth and golden colour that no raw aromatic can contribute
Three hours minimum
Collagen in marrow and knuckle bones dissolves slowly — shortcut the simmer and you get stock, not the silky broth pho demands
Herbs at the table
Bean sprouts, Thai basil, and coriander are added by the diner, not the kitchen — pho is a dish you build in the bowl yourself
North vs South
Hanoi's pho is savoury and spare; Ho Chi Minh City's is sweet, rich, and lavishly garnished — both are essential Vietnam
Ingredients 4 servings
- 400g dried rice noodles (banh pho, 5mm width)
- 500g beef brisket or flank (for the broth)
- 1kg beef bones (marrow or knuckle)
- 2 medium onions, halved
- 5 cm fresh ginger, halved lengthways
- 3 star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick (5 cm)
- 3 cloves
- 2 tbsp fish sauce (nuoc mam)
- 1 tsp sugar
- Salt to taste
- 200g fresh bean sprouts
- Fresh coriander and Thai basil
- 2 red chillies, sliced (at the table)
- 2 limes, quartered (at the table)
- Hoisin sauce and sriracha (at the table)
How to make it
- 1Blanch beef bones in boiling water for 5 minutes, discard water, rinse well — this removes impurities and keeps the broth clear.
- 2Char the onion halves and ginger directly over a gas flame or under the grill until lightly blackened on the edges (2–3 minutes per side) — this gives the broth its golden colour and depth.
- 3Fill a large pot with 3L cold water, add bones, brisket, charred onion, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.
- 4Bring to a boil, reduce to a bare simmer, cook uncovered for 3 hours, skimming fat periodically.
- 5Remove the brisket after 1½ hours, let cool, slice thinly.
- 6Strain broth through a fine sieve, season with fish sauce, sugar, and salt.
- 7Soak noodles in cold water 20 minutes, boil 30 seconds, drain.
- 8Divide noodles into bowls, ladle boiling broth over, add meat slices.
- 9Serve with bean sprouts, coriander, basil, chilli, lime, and sauces at the table.
Nutritional info
per serving (~400 ml)
Estimated nutritional values.
Pairs perfectly with
