Vietnamese Beef Pho
Recreating an authentic bowl of Vietnamese pho at home can seem daunting, but with high-quality store-bought broth and clever preparation, it’s entirely achievable. A rich broth, silky rice noodles, tender beef, and an abundance of fresh herbs are its soul. Your Geedel food chopper is the ultimate tool for quickly preparing large quantities of fresh herbs and garnishes, making the final assembly a ritualistic pleasure.
Ingredients:
For the simplified broth:
1.5 liters high-quality beef broth
1 onion, halved
3 cm piece of ginger, smashed
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
For the bowl:
200g very thinly sliced raw beef (such as flank steak)
200g dried rice noodles (pho noodles)
Bean sprouts
Handful of fresh Thai basil
Handful of fresh mint
Handful of cilantro
1–2 limes
1–2 bird’s eye chilies
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha
Instructions:
1. Make the quick-flavored broth:
Char the onion halves and ginger in a dry skillet until slightly blackened. In a large pot, combine the broth, charred onion and ginger, star anise, cinnamon stick, fish sauce, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes to let the spices infuse. Strain out the solids and keep the broth hot.
2. Prepare herbs and accompaniments:
Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and divide among large bowls.
Rinse the bean sprouts. Pick the leaves from the Thai basil, mint, and cilantro. Use the manual food chopper with the chopping blade to quickly mince the chilies (process separately).
Cut the limes into wedges.
3. Assemble and “cook” the beef:
Arrange the raw beef slices over the noodles in each bowl. Pour the piping hot broth directly over the beef—enough to cook it to medium-rare or well-done, as preferred.
4. Personalize and serve:
Immediately arrange bean sprouts, herb leaves, lime wedges, and minced chilies around the rim of each bowl. Add hoisin sauce and sriracha to taste. Before eating, dip the herbs and bean sprouts into the broth and squeeze in lime juice.
Summary:
The experience of this iconic Vietnamese noodle soup lies in its interactive richness and layering of fresh ingredients. The Geedel vegetable chopper efficiently handles large quantities of delicate herbs and spicy chilies, ensuring that each bowl of pho receives the freshest, most authentic finishing touch at the last moment—giving homemade pho the genuine street-food vibe.
