How to make pho bo at home: a clear, fragrant beef broth

How to make pho bo at home needs no secret family recipe, just the right order of steps and some patience. A clear broth that smells of cinnamon and star anise and tastes sweet from the bones is what makes a homemade bowl come close to a good pho shop. This guide goes step by step, from choosing bones to ladling the broth, with the common mistakes to avoid from the first attempt.

Ingredients for a family pot of beef pho

Step 1: Blanch the bones for a clear broth

This step decides whether your broth is clear or cloudy. Rinse the bones, put them in cold water, bring to a hard boil for a few minutes until the scum rises, then pour the water away, rinse the bones and clean the pot. Many cooks soak the bones in lightly salted water first to draw out blood.

Step 2: Char the aromatics and toast the spices

Char the onion and ginger over a gas flame or in the oven until the skins blacken, scrape off the burnt bits and bruise them. Toast the cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, clove and coriander seed in a dry pan over low heat for a few minutes until fragrant, then tie them in a cloth bag. For each spice and how much to use, see the pho spice guide.

Step 3: Simmer the beef pho broth

• Put the blanched bones in a large pot, cover with water, bring to the boil, then lower the heat until the surface barely trembles. A rolling boil clouds the broth.
• Skim foam and excess fat often during the first hour.
• Add the charred onion and ginger; drop the spice bag in for roughly the last hour so the aroma does not turn harsh, and lift it out once it smells right.
• Simmer flank, shank or brisket in the same pot until tender, lift it out, plunge it into cold water so it does not darken, drain and slice.
• Simmering time depends on the amount of bone and the pot, usually several hours. A pressure cooker cuts it a lot, but let the pressure release naturally so the broth stays clear.

A large, thick-based pot and a stove that holds a steady low flame make the long simmer much easier. See stockpots for pho and induction and gas stoves.

Step 4: Season and build the bowl

Season with salt and rock sugar first and add the fish sauce at the end to keep its aroma. Put the beef for rare slices in the freezer for a few dozen minutes until firm, then slice it very thin across the grain. Dip the noodles in boiling water, put them in a bowl, add cooked and raw beef, spring onion, coriander and sliced onion, then ladle over broth at a full boil so the raw beef just cooks.

Common mistakes when making pho

• Cloudy broth: bones not blanched properly, a hard boil or too much stirring.
• Overpowering spice: too much star anise or clove, or the spice bag left in too long.
• Thin, flat broth: too little bone for the water, or not simmered long enough.
• Chewy rare beef: slices too thick or broth not hot enough.

Cook once, eat all week

Let leftover broth cool, skim the fat and freeze it in meal-sized boxes; thaw in the fridge and bring back to the boil to serve. See containers for broth and freezing. And when there is no time to cook, the quickest option is to find a pho restaurant near you by province and ward.