Servings: 4
Ingredients
Broth
- 2 lbs chicken bones (1kg)
- 1.6 quart water (1.5 liter)
- 3.5 oz smooth peanut butter (100g)
- 3 tbsp Vietnamese sate sauce (to your taste) (store-bought or homemade)
- 3 tbsp fish sauce (to your taste)
- ½ tbsp salt (to your taste)
- 1 tbsp chicken powder (to your taste)
- 0.5 oz rock sugar (15g) (to your taste)
- 1½ tbsp cornstarch / tapioca starch / potato starch (for the slurry)
Pho spices
- 1 onion
- 1 big shallot
- 3 pods star anises
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 1 pod black cardamom
- ½ tbsp peppercorns
- ½ tbsp corriander seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp fennel seeds (optional)
- 3 pods clove (optional)
- 1 piece dried tangerine peel (optional)
Toppings
- 1.3 lb sliced beef (600g)
- 0.5 lb beef balls (230g) (optional)
- 1 pack dried pho noodles
Garnish
- Mungbean sprouts
- Thinly sliced onion
- Cilantro
- Scallions
- Thai basil
Instructions
Prepare Pho spices for the broth:
- Char the onion, shallot, and ginger (you could broil them in oven or air fryer / grill on an open flame or char them on a stainless steel pan.
- Toast the spices in the pan, noting that larger spices such as black cardamom, star anise, or cinnamon will need more time to toast than the smaller ones.
- Enclose all the spices in tea bags to make them easier to handle.
Prepare the broth:
- Put the bones in a pot and adding 1/2 tablespoon of salt. Then, cover them with cold water and bring the pot to a boil. Let it boil for 3 minutes to eliminate any impurities.
- Drain the bones. Then thoroughly rinse them with cold water to remove any residue.
- Return the bones to the pot and add 1.6 quart (1.5 liter) of water for every 2.2 pounds (1 kg) of bones. Add salt, rock sugar, onion, shallot, ginger, and all the spices. Simmer for 1 hour.
- After one hour, take out all of the spices.
- In a separate small pan, combine the Vietnamese sate sauce and peanut butter. Stir-fry until fragrant, then add this sauce to the broth. Mix until well combined.
- Make a slurry by mixing cornstarch with some water, then pour it into the broth. Cook the broth on low heat for 3 minutes.
- To finish, season the broth once more with chicken powder and fish sauce to your liking. Keep in mind that the broth's flavor should be slightly saltier than your desired taste, as it will dilute once you add the rice noodles.
Assemble the pho bowl:
- Cook the Pho noodles according to the instructions provided.
- Blanch the mung bean sprouts, and then arrange them over the rice noodles.
- In a ladle, cook a portion of raw beef in the satay soup, and then place it atop the noodles. Pour the soup over the noodles and beef.
- Garnish your noodle soup with chopped scallions, cilantro, and Thai basil. Enjoy!
Notes
- To save time, you could use store-bought chicken broth.
- Tailor the broth's spiciness by adjusting the amount of Vietnamese Sate Sauce. If you want a vibrant red broth without excessive heat, you can substitute a portion with Paprika powder.
- For the toppings, you can replace sliced beef with shredded poached chicken to make "Phở Sa Tế Gà" (Satay Chicken Pho).
- Feel free to play around with the Pho spices to achieve your preferred taste. Just keep in mind that cloves should be used sparingly, as they can add a potent kick even in small amounts.
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