Published 3/28/2020
Pho (pronounced Fuh) is a Vietnamese broth/soup with rice noodles, fresh herbs, and beef. It has a wonderfully unique flavor from the spices that season the broth! I made my Perfectly Imperfect recipe vegetarian, but tried to keep traditional with the rest of the soup. Pho is a bowl of healthy ingredients and can be a delicious lunch or light dinner. If you aren’t plant-based, add chicken or beef to make it heartier if you like!!
PREP TIME: 5 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 minutes
SERVINGS: 4
ingredients
Soup
- 4 Star Anise*
- 4 whole Cloves
- 3 Cinnamon Sticks**
- 2 Cardamom Pods (optional)
- 3 in. piece of Ginger
- 4 Scallions (white and green parts separated)
- 8 cups Stock***
- 2-3 TSP Fish Sauce****
- 1 TSP Agave, Sugar or Honey
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Topping Options
- 8 oz Rice Noodles*****
- Thai Basil/Basil/Mint******
- Bean Sprouts (fresh or canned)
- Cilantro
- Lime
- Green parts of Scallions (chopped)
- Jalapeno (sliced)
- Sriracha/Chili Sauce/Chili Paste
- Raw Beef (thinly sliced) or cooked Chicken
*If you cannot find whole Star Anise you can substitute 1-2 TSP Anise Extract. Start with 1 and add more to taste since the extract will have a much stronger Anise flavor than the Stars. This spice is the basic flavor of the broth so don’t skip it.
** 1 – 1 1/2 TSP ground Cinnamon can be used instead of the sticks. Again, start with 1 TSP and add more to taste.
***Use Vegetable Stock if you are making this Vegetarian. If not, use Chicken or Beef for added flavor.
****If you are a strict Vegetarian or Vegan you can use 2-3 TSP Soy Sauce with 1 TSP Lime juice instead of Fish Sauce, but this is a big component of the soup’s flavor so if you can use it you should.
*****I used the Rice Sticks, but there are a lot of different varieties. If you can’t find Rice noodles, use 1/2 package of Ramen per bowl (without the flavor packet of course), Angel Hair or Vermicelli Pastas.
******Thai Basil is hard to come by so use Mint or Basil if needed (Mint will be closer in flavor.) Again, these herbs are important to the soup’s flavor so make sure to add them.
instructions
- Heat Anise, Cloves, Cinnamon, Cardamon, Ginger, and Scallion (white parts only) in a large pot over medium-high heat until fragrant (about 2-3 minutes.) *If using Extract or Powdered spices add them into the Stock and do not toast them.
- Pour in Stock, increase heat to high, and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 25-30 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, soak the Rice noodles in HOT water for 5-8 minutes to soften.
- Strain out all Spices and Scallions.
- Stir in the Fish Sauce and Agave.
- Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.
- To serve: Add a handful of Noodles to a bowl and pour in piping hot Broth. Top with fresh Lime juice, Sprouts, fresh Herbs, Chili Sauce, etc. ENJOY!!
*If adding raw beef, make sure the Broth is super hot and pour it over the thinly sliced beef in the bowl. This will cook it to a safe temperature.
Did you try this recipe? Please share any comments or suggestions!!
