Traditional Vietnamese Beef Pho Soup

PREP TIME:
1 hour

SERVES:

4 to 6

TOTAL COOKING TIME:

6 hours
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INGREDIENTS
  • 5 lbs beef bones
  • 1 lb beef tendons
  • 2 Pho Hoa spices package (Gia Vi 1 oz) – Pho seasoning
  • 24 cups (6 quarts) of cold water
  • 2 tbsp Candy Rocks
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 tbsp mushroom seasoning (Hat Nem)
  • Bay leaves (10 leaves)
  • Cinnamon Sticks (4-6)
  • 3 tbsp star aniseed (20-25 pieces)
  • Black Cardamon (5-6)
  • 1 tbsp Cloves
  • 2 lbs tender rare beef flank, sliced thin
  • Beef soup balls
  • 1 bunch scallion white part only, cut 1”pieces
  • 2 tbsp fresh ginger, sliced and pan fried
  • 2 sweet onions, divided
  • 4 shallot onions, divided
  • Jalapeno pepper, sliced
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce
  • Vien Gia Vi pho seasoning (2 cubes)

DIRECTIONS

  1. 1.
    Using a large soup pot, fill 24 cups (6 quarts) of cold water and slowly bring to boil.
  2. 2.
    Add candy rocks, Kosher salt to pot.
  3. 3.
    Clean, remove ginger skin. Cut ginger into thin slices.
  4. 4.
    Using a small frying pan, fry ginger, star anise pods, black cardamon, cloves and cinnamon sticks until golden brown. Add ginger to pot of soup.
  5. 5.
    Transfer fried star anise, black cardamon, cloves and cinnamon into a small tea infuser. Add to pot of soup.
  6. 6.
    Clean scallion. Cut scallion head into 1 inch in length pieces.
  7. 7.
    Peel 2 sweet onions and shallot onions. Cut onions into halves.
  8. 8.
    Fry cut scallion and onions in a small sauce pan until golden brown but not burned. Add to pot of soup.
  9. 9.
    When pot of soup boils, lower heat to medium-Low. Add beef bones, beef tendon, pho seasoning cubes, fish sauce, Pho Hoa spice packages, bay leaves, black pepper, mushroom seasoning.
  10. 10.
    Cook over medium-low heat for 6 hours.
  11. 11.
    Serve with: rice noodles, banh Pho noodles or vermicelli beans threads noodles, thinly sliced rare beef flank, chopped scallion, bean sprouts, sliced sweet onion, jalapeno pepper, ngo gai (culantro), fresh basil, lime, beef soup balls, beef tendons, hoison sauce, sriracha.