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Have you ever wanted to make your own pho tai (Vietnamese pho soup), but didn't think you could make it taste like the restaurant version? Well, this beef pho recipe makes it ultra simple and the flavors come out just like the restaurant version!
This Vietnamese beef noodle soup (or pho bo tai) is made with a broth of oxtails, charred aromatics, star anise, a cinnamon stick and cloves and topped with fresh herbs and thinly sliced rare steak.
Pho is something I immediately fell in love with years ago for it's light but flavorful beef broth, fresh herbs and meaty rare beef slices. I never thought it would be something I could make in my own kitchen.
But after a fair amount of testing, I got the right combination of flavors and am so excited to share it with you! It's not only super delicious, it's easy to make guys. And it's great to make in advance for easy weeknight meals.
We also make a super simple Instant Pot Pho as well as an easy 30 minute chicken pho (pho ga) that uses chicken broth instead of beef broth.
Jump to:
Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Making the broth is super easy and most of the cooking time is hands off.
- Charring the aromatics adds a depth of flavor and slight sweetness to the broth.
- Using oxtails gives the broth a rich meatiness - we strain the fat off to get a clear, beautiful, beefy broth.
- It's easy to make ahead so you can eat it throughout the week.
- It's great for the whole family as you can adjust the spice level when serving - leave out the jalapenos for the little ones 🙂
- You can season it however you want - with herbs, limes, sriracha, hoisin, fish sauce, beans sprouts, etc. - there are so many options (and we discuss those below in the Serving Options section)
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Ingredients
The full list of ingredients and amounts is included in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
We use oxtails to make the broth as they offer a great combination of bone, fat connective tissue and marrow to give the broth body and meaty flavor. You can substitute a combination of beef bones and beef brisket to get a similar result, but I really recommend using the oxtails.
Sirloin or tenderloin is used for the thinly sliced raw beef slices. I get mine pre-sliced from the Asian market, but you can slice it thin by freezing it first and slicing it super thin while frozen.
Whole spices are use to flavor the broth and should be easy to find at you local grocery store: star anise, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves.
Flat Rice noodles can be found at your local grocery store or the Asian market. You can get whatever type your prefer (thick or thinner). I try to buy some in between - medium thickness. **don't buy vermicelli noodles as they are much thinner and not typically used in pho
Hoisin sauce is optional for serving, but I find it adds an essential sweetness to the pho. Same with Sriracha - it is optional, but I love the spice and tang it adds.
I use MSG to flavor the broth. You can leave this out, but I really recommend trying it. It adds extra umami flavor to the broth and and really amps it up to that restaurant flavor!
Soy sauce and fish sauce are also used to season the broth and add a deeper umami flavor.
Fresh herbs, jalapenos, bean sprouts, and limes are used for serving.
Step By Step Instructions
Place the quartered white onion, ginger and garlic on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until charred on all sides. This can also be done on a grill or in a hot cast iron skillet.
Once charred, set aside and let cool.
Place all the whole spices (star anise, coriander, whole cloves, cinnamon stick, bay leaves) in cheesecloth or a small spice bag and secure it at the top.
Place the oxtails, charred vegetables and spice bag in a large Dutch oven (mine is a 5 quart and fits everything perfectly).
Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and MSG. Pour in about 12 cups of cold water, leaving about 2" at the top to ensure it doesn't boil over. Adjust if you have a larger or small pot.
Bring the heat to boiling, cover, and reduce to low heat to simmer.
Simmer, covered, for 6 hours. Periodically lift the lid and skim off any foam that has risen to the top (this typically happens right at the beginning).
When it's done cooking, strain it using a fine mesh strainer. To get ultra clear broth, line the strainer with cheesecloth.
Reserve the oxtails for the soup. When cool, shred and save the meat for use in the soup (or freeze for other dishes in the future).
Place the broth in a container and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight - long enough for the fat to rise and harden at the top.
Remove the fat from the top (this can be reserved for cooking other dishes in the future) and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and set aside.
Heat the broth to boiling. Taste and add additional salt if needed (I usually don't need to).
Divide the noodles into 4 bowls and add the thin slices of beef, pieces of reserved oxtails, bean sprouts and jalapenos.
Pour the boiling broth over top of the bowls and garnish with cilantro, basil, lime wedges, hoisin and siracha sauce (or any hot sauce).
Serve piping hot in a large bowl with soups spoons and chopsticks alongside these Vietnamese spring rolls, and/or these fish sauce chicken wings.
Expert Tips
- At the beginning of the cook time, skim the broth periodically to remove the impurities.
- Refrigerate the broth after cooking to allow the fat to harden at the top so it can be easily removed.
- To get ultra clear broth, strain it through cheesecloth when initially straining, then again after removing the fat.
- Substitute beef bones and brisket for the oxtails to get a similar style broth.
- Add salt to taste when reheating to serve.
- Use a 5 quart Dutch oven or a large stock pot for the best results.
- Reserve the oxtails and shred the meat to use in the soup.
- Follow the instructions on the rice noodles and be careful not to overcook them - they become a pile of mush when overcooked.
- Always serve the soup VERY hot to cook the rare beef - be careful when eating.
Serving Options
- Serve with fresh herbs such as cilantro, Thai basil (substitute any basil if you can't find Thai), mint leaves, culantro (similar to cilantro - can be found in Asian markets).
- Fresh vegetables like bean sprouts, jalapenos for some heat (any sliced hot chili peppers will work here depending on your preferences), green onions, bamboo shoots, bok choy.
- I always like to serve pho with fresh lime wedges for a squeeze of fresh lime juice - it adds perfect brightness to complement the heaviness of the beef.
- A squeeze of these sauces:
- hoisin sauce for a touch of sweetness (you can also use a sweet soy sauce)
- soy sauce or fish sauce for extra saltiness and umami
- sriracha or chili sauce for heat
- just a touch of shrimp paste (I love the funk this adds!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Basically, tai just mean sliced rare beef steak. It the thinly sliced beef we use in the pho when serving.
Typically, thinly sliced raw beef like sirloin, tenderloin, or flank steak are used. The point is that the beef is raw and sliced very thin so the hot broth cooks it when added to the bowl.
Pho bo is the general term for Vietnamese rice noodle soup served with beef while pho tai is the more specific rice noodle soup with rare beef. Under pho bo, there is also pho bo chin (with lean beef) and pho bo nam (with fatty beef), among others.
Storage and Reheating Options
Leftover beef pho broth can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
You can also make the broth in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer until ready to use it. Reheat straight from from frozen on the stovetop.
Store leftover noodles in the fridge for a couple days max (separate from the broth) as they do not last long and will become mushy.
I do not recommend freezing the noodles as they will become mushy and unusable.
Leftover thinly sliced beef can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days, or the freezer until ready to use. Note the texture might become a little but mushier.
More Vietnamese Noodle Recipes
- Bun Boe Hue (spicy beef noodle soup)
- Banh Canh (Vietnamese thick noodle soup)
- Bun Thit Nuong (grilled pork with rice noodles)
- Vietnamese beef noodle salad
- Instant Pot beef pho
- Instant Pot Pho Ga (chicken pho)
If you love this recipe, leave a comment below and let us know your favorite thing about it. We'd also love to connect on Instagram! Follow us at @went_here_8_this for awesome recipes and all sorts of fun food stuff 🙂
Recipe
Pho Tai Nam (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 6-8 ounces thinly sliced sirloin substitute any sliced beef
- 2 tablespoon chopped green onions
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro roughly cut
- ½ cup fresh Thai basil
- 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
- Hoisin sauce for serving
- Sriracha sauce for serving
- 1 jalapeno sliced (for serving)
- 2-3 fresh limes for serving
Pho Broth:
- 4 pounds beef oxtails rinsed
- 1 small white onion cut in quarters
- 4 inch piece peeled ginger
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 star anise
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 6 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick slightly crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ to 1 teaspoon MSG optional but adds great flavor
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt optional - to taste at end
Instructions
- Place the onions, ginger and garlic on a baking sheet and place under the broiler until charred on all sides. This can also be done on a grill or in a hot cast iron skillet.
- Once charred, set aside and let cool.
- Place all the whole spices (star anise, coriander, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves) in cheesecloth or a small spice bag and secure it at the top.
- Place the oxtails, charred vegetables and spice bag in a large 5 quart+ Dutch oven or stock pot.
- Add the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar and MSG. Pour in about 12 cups of water, leaving about 2" at the top to ensure it doesn't boil over. Adjust if you have a larger or small pot.
- Bring the heat to boiling, cover, and reduce to low heat to simmer.
- Simmer, covered, for 6 hours. Periodically lift the lid and skim off any foam that has risen to the top (this typically happens right at the beginning).
- When it's done cooking, strain it using a mesh strainer. To get ultra clear broth, line the strainer with cheesecloth.
- Reserve the oxtails for the soup.
- Place the broth in a container and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight - long enough for the fat to rise and harden at the top.
- Remove the fat from the top (this can be reserved for cooking other dishes in the future) and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months).
- Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and set aside.
- Heat the broth to boiling. Taste and add additional salt if needed (I usually don't need to).
- Divide the noodles into 4 bowls and add the slices of sirloin, pieces of reserved oxtails, bean sprouts and jalapenos.
- Pour the boiling broth over top of the bowls and garnish with cilantro, basil, limes, hoisin and siracha sauce.
- Serve hot with soups spoons and chopsticks.
Expert Tips:
- At the beginning of the cook time, skim the broth periodically to remove the impurities.
- Refrigerate the broth after cooking to allow the fat to harden at the top so it can be easily removed.
- To get ultra clear broth, strain it through cheesecloth when initially straining, then again after removing the fat.
- Substitute beef bones and brisket for the oxtails to get a similar style broth.
- Add salt to taste when reheating to serve.
- Use a 5 quart Dutch oven or a large stock pot for the best results.
- Reserve the oxtails and shred the meat to use in the soup.
- Follow the instructions on the rice noodles and be careful not to overcook them - they become a pile of mush when overcooked.
- Always serve the soup VERY hot to cook the rare beef - be careful when eating.
Nutrition
david
I loved how meaty and delicious the broth turned out - so yum!
Danielle
That's the best part of it 🙂