Ingredients

• 500 g beef bones
• 1 kg beef (brisket or thinly sliced fillet)
• 2 star anise
• 4 cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 piece of ginger (approx. 5 cm), peeled
• 1 onion, halved
• 4 liters of water
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 300 g rice noodles
• Bean sprouts, fresh lime, coriander and fresh chili for serving

Instructions

1. Rinse the beef bones well under cold water. Place them in a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for 10 minutes to remove impurities. Rinse the bones again and discard the water.
2. In the same pot add the roasted ginger and onion together with star anise, cloves and cinnamon stick. Add the rinsed beef bones and beef, and pour 4 liters of fresh water over. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Let it simmer gently for 2-3 hours. Skim off impurities as needed.
3. Strain the soup and discard the bones and spices. Slice the beef thinly and set aside.
4. Bring the soup back to a simmer and add fish sauce and sugar to taste.
5. Cook the rice noodles according to the package instructions and divide them among bowls.
6. Place the thinly sliced beef on the noodles along with bean sprouts in the bowls. Pour the hot soup over to cook the meat.
7. Serve your Pho with fresh coriander leaves, lime wedges and slices of fresh chili to taste.

Tips for the perfect Pho

To create an extra aromatic Pho, you can add an extra teaspoon of roasted cinnamon powder or experiment with other spices such as cardamom to give a deeper flavor. If you want a more intense broth, you can extend the cooking time of the beef bones to up to 6 hours. Remember, Pho often tastes even better the next day, when the flavors have had time to develop.