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Beef Pho with Rice Noodles

Name: Beef Pho with Rice Noodles
Prep time: 1 h 58 min
Total time: 2 h 8 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: yellow onion — 110 g; ginger — 60 g; freshly ground star anise — 300 g; cinnamon — 2 g; low-sodium beef broth — 1893 g; beef brisket — 680 g; fish sauce — 59 g; granulated sugar — 25 g; salt — 5 g; dried chinese plain noodles — 227 g; beef sirloin — 340 g; yellow onion — 55 g; bean sprouts — 473 g; scallions — 300 g; basil — 15 g; lime — 65 g

Beef Pho with Rice Noodles reads umami 7.6, salinity 5.2 and funk & ferment 5.2 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Vietnamese main, about 2 hr 8 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 9.0 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.0 / 10
Sour & Bright — 5.7 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.6 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.7 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.0 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 7.6 · Salinity 5.2 · Funk & Ferment 5.2 · Richness 4.6 · Citrus 4.5 · Warm Spice 4.3 · Marine & Briny 4.2 · Sourness 4.1 · Allium 4.0 · Sweetness 3.9 · Herbaceous 3.1 · Floral 1.7 · Earthy 1.5 · Bitterness 0.8

What's in it (16)

yellow onion — 110 g
ginger — 60 g
freshly ground star anise — 300 g
cinnamon — 2 g
low-sodium beef broth — 1893 g
beef brisket — 680 g
fish sauce — 59 g
granulated sugar — 25 g
salt — 5 g
dried chinese plain noodles — 227 g
beef sirloin — 340 g
yellow onion — 55 g
bean sprouts — 473 g
scallions — 300 g
basil — 15 g
lime — 65 g

Time & effort: about 2 hr 8 min (1 hr 58 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 87 kcal, 7.3 g protein, 2.7 g fat, 9.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (10 steps)

Char the onion halves and ginger under the broiler (or over a gas flame with tongs), turning occasionally, until the skins are blackened and blistered in spots, 8 to 10 minutes; rinse off the charred skin under cool water and set aside.
Toast the star anise and cinnamon stick in a large dry stockpot over medium heat, stirring, until fragrant and the anise pods darken slightly, about 2 minutes.
Pour in the beef broth and add the charred onion, ginger, and brisket; bring to a boil over high heat, then skim off any gray foam that rises to the surface.
Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally, until the brisket is fork-tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes.
Lift out the brisket and set aside to rest for 10 minutes, then slice thin against the grain.
Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot, discarding the onion, ginger, and spices, and return it to a bare simmer.
Stir the fish sauce, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt into the broth; taste and add more salt or fish sauce until the broth tastes clean, savory, and lightly sweet.
Cook the rice noodles in a separate pot of boiling water until tender but still slightly chewy, about 4 minutes, then drain.
Divide the noodles among deep bowls and top with the raw sliced sirloin and the sliced brisket.
Ladle the boiling hot broth over each bowl - it will cook the sirloin in about 30 seconds - and serve immediately topped with the sliced onion, bean sprouts, scallions, basil, and lime wedges.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Weeknight Beef Pho — Vietnamese
Pho Bo (Beef Noodle Soup) — Vietnamese
Vietnamese Chicken Pho (Pho Ga) — Vietnamese
Thai Coconut Curry Noodle Soup with Chicken (Khao Soi Style) — Thai
Yellow Curry Chicken and Potatoes — Thai

Keep reading: what umami, salinity, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.