Beef Pho is one of those dishes that fills you up, is fun to eat and warms your soul. The rich broth hits your nose before it ever touches your tongue and immediately ignites intrigue with a flash of familiarity. G first introduced it to me a couple of years ago after being taken for Pho by his coworkers and falling in love with the stuff. And I have to say, I fell pretty hard too. I was actually (very) pregnant with Fischer at the time and remember waddling out to the car afterwards trying to put my finger on what exactly ‘that spice’ was in the broth. From then on, Pho just seemed like one of those dishes whose complicated nature would never grace my kitchen with its presence.

Until about a year ago.

I came across this recipe by Went Here 8 This and her photos looked so beautiful and so similar to the dish I’d first had that I knew I had to try it – with a few simplifying alterations.

What kitchen equipment do you need to make Pho at home?

1) Instant Pot – We have the 6 qt it’s perfect for this!
2) Large Bowl – You’ll need this to strain the broth
3) Mesh Strainer
4) Large Pot – To boil the noodles
5) Measuring Cup – Just a 1C measure will work
6) Measuring spoons

Beef Pho Ingredients:

For the broth:

• (2) 32 oz boxes of low sodium chicken broth (yes, you read that right. we’ve actually tried it with beef broth and beef stock and both prefer the broth made with chicken broth!)
• 1-2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (or half a stick if you have the full-length ones)
• 1 1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
• 4-6 cloves
• 1 tbsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 small onion sliced in chunks
• 1 tsp. cooking oil
• 4 ” slice ginger cut in pieces
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 4 tbsp. soy sauce
• 5 tbsp. fish sauce

Toppings:

• 1/2 pound beef tenderloin (filet mignon) – this is what WH8T’s recipe calls for but our grocery store (Kroger) sells ‘shaved steak’ so we just do that!
• 12 ounces rice noodles
• 2 sliced jalapenos
• 1 onion – we cut ours in half and slice super thin.. so good!
• 4-5 sliced green onions

These next few toppings are optional in our book. We don’t use them, but you may like them!

• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup fresh Thai basil (substitute regular basil)
• hoisin sauce (as needed for flavor)
• sriracha (as needed for flavor)

How to make Beef Pho Broth:

1. Push saute on your Instant Pot and add a small amount of oil to the bottom.
2. Add chopped onions + peeled and chopped ginger. Allow to get good and brown (5-10 minutes) – the more brown, the more flavor!
3. Add spices: star anise, cinnamon, coriander, cloves, salt, pepper – allow to toast for 2-3 minutes.
4. Add chicken broth.
5. Press manual and start cooking. I’ve done this for as little as 18 minutes and as along as an hour and a half. Just depends on how much time I have before we’re supposed to eat!
6. When broth has about 15 minutes left, start boiling water for rice noodles and cook according to package.
7. Prep the toppings you’re planning to use.
8. Prepare the sugar, fish sauce and soy sauce mixture, set aside.
9. When broth is finished, quick release the pressure. Place a large bowl in the sink and place the mesh strainer inside the bowl. Carefully pour the broth and discard the sediments. Replace the broth to the Instant Pot bowl and cooker.
10. Add fish sauce mixture to broth.
11. If you’d like to cook your meat slightly (like we do), press saute on your Instant Pot and place sliced meat in the bowl, letting it cook to desired doneness.
12. Assemble your bowl. This is what we do: noodles, meat, onions, jalapeno, green onion, broth.
13. Grab a big spoon and chopsticks – enjoy!

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If you make this recipe, post a photo and tag me (@amandafontenotblog) so that I can see and share!