Quicker Beef Pho
A fast hack for Vietnamese pho, ready in about an hour using beef base rather than a long-simmered scratch broth.
Ingredients
| 1 qt (960 ml) | Water |
| 2 tbsp (30 g) | Beef bouillon or base |
| 1 | Piece ginger, 2" (5 cm), sliced into thin tiles |
| 1/2 | Onion, sliced thin |
| 1 tbsp (15 g) | Vietnamese fish sauce |
| 1 tbsp (15 g) | White sugar |
| 2 | Whole star anise |
| 2 | Whole cloves |
| 1 | Cinnamon stick |
| pinch | Kosher salt |
| 1/2 lb (240 g) | Rice stick noodles, cooked, rinsed and drained |
| 1/2 lb (240 g) | Beef strip loin or fillet, shaved thin |
| 1 | Onion, sliced paper thin |
| 4 | Scallions, sliced thin on the bias |
| 1/2 cup (95 g) | Cilantro leaves |
| 1 cup (240 g) | Bean sprouts |
| 1/2 lb (240 g) | Vietnamese basil |
| 5 | Jalapeno chilies, sliced thin |
| 1 | Lime, cut into wedges |
| to taste | Sriracha and hoisin sauce, for serving |
Instructions
I wrote this recipe for fast pho because you don't always want to take a whole day to source the ingredients and make pho from scratch. This is an awesome hack to be eating pho in an hour! You can find all the ingredients locally and even have them delivered. Slicing beef paper thin can be a pain. Japanese and Chinese markets always stock paper-thin meats for shabu shabu or sukiyaki.
Makes 2 large or 4 small bowls.
For the Stock: Add the water and beef base to a 2-quart (1.9-L) saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the ginger, onion, fish sauce and sugar to the stock and reduce to a simmer. Wrap the star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it into a bundle. Let the bundle simmer in the broth for no more than 45 minutes. Stir in the salt and check the seasonings. Strain and reserve.
To Assemble: Distribute the noodles among 4 bowls. Top with some sliced beef, onion, scallions, cilantro, bean sprouts, basil and jalapenos. Bring the broth to a simmer and ladle in enough to cover the ingredients in the bowl. Garnish with a lime wedge. I like to serve pho with Sriracha and hoisin sauce.