Vietnamese Pho Beef Rice Noodle Soup {Slow Cooker}

Authentic stove-top and slow cooker Vietnamese Pho Beef Rice Noodle soup. The perfect comfort food on a cold day simmered full of the best combination of spices.

There is nothing more comforting on a chilly day than a big bowl of warming soup.

One of our family’s favorite soups to enjoy and slurp on is Pho (pronounced “Fuh?”) – a traditional Vietnamese Rice Noodle soup.

If you have never tried Pho, you are definitely in for a treat once you sample this extremely comforting dish.

The intense flavored broth is traditionally made by simmering beef bones (sometimes chicken bones) with onions, ginger and a variety of warm spices including star anise, cloves, cardamom, and coriander seeds.

It is served over rice noodles and an assortment of fresh garnishes like onions, bean sprouts, herbs, bird’s eye chilies, and lime wedges.

The key to a great tasting Pho broth is the type of bones used and allowing enough time for them to simmer gently.

My mom’s traditional Pho recipe uses a mix of beef bones such as marrow, knuckle and oxtail along with some key ingredients such as ginger, onions, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and fish sauce will help you achieve that wonderful signature Pho flavor.

If you enjoy Pho the traditional way with beef – arrange a few pieces of very thinly sliced cuts of raw beef over the cooked rice noodles prior to pouring the steaming broth on top.

Slicing the beef into very thin slices will ensure that once the hot broth is ladled on top, the beef will be cooked just right.

• For a less fuss Pho fix using your Crock-pot or slow cooker, you can simply throw the parboiled bones (once they have been rinsed off) along with the charbroiled onion, ginger, garlic, daikon, carrot, spices and seasonings covered with clean water into your slow cooker and simmer on low for 6-8 hours.  Then you just pour over the cooked rice noodles.
• Or for an even easier version, just replace 3/4 of the amount of water with beef broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth and simmer with the charbroiled onion, ginger, garlic, daikon, carrot, spices and seasonings for 30-60 minutes and pour over the cooked rice noodles then voilà – warm comforting Pho soup at your fingertips
• Serve with your favorite herbs and condiments.

There is also lots of room to make it your own by adding different proteins or vegetables to the noodle bowl once you’re ready to serve.

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Vietnamese Pho – Beef Rice Noodle Soup Recipe (Pho Bo) with Shortcut and Slow Cooker Options

Prep Time

35 mins

Cook Time

3 hrs

Total Time

3 hrs 35 mins

 

A traditional recipe that produces a flavorful and aromatic Vietnamese Beef Rice Noodle Soup. It does require some simmering time but produces a very flavorful and authentic tasting broth. This recipe makes enough for 10 servings, feel free to adjust the amounts if you want to make less. Or you can freeze the leftover broth in freezer safe bags or containers to have it handy for next time. ***See Notes below for an easier less fuss version using prepared stock *** Also See Notes below for a Crock-Pot / slow cooker version

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: asian soup recipe, pho recipe

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 586 kcal

Ingredients

Broth:

• 12-14 cups water or enough to cover stock pot
• 3 pounds beef soup bones marrow and knuckle bones
• 3 pounds oxtail bones
• 1 medium yellow onion
• 8 whole cloves studded into onion
• 5 star anise
• 2 3-inch cinnamon sticks
• 5 green cardamom pods
• 7 coriander seeds
• 1 4-inch piece ginger
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 medium daikon peeled, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 carrot peeled, cut into 2 inch pieces

Seasonings:

• 1-1/2 tablespons kosher or sea salt or to taste
• 4 tablespoons fish sauce or to taste
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar yellow rock or palm (for more authentic results I usually use 1 oz. yellow rock sugar (roughly a 2-inch cube)

Noodles:

• 2-3 pounds dried or fresh rice stick noodles banh pho prepared according to directions on package

Serving Toppings and Garnishes:

• 1/2-1 pound of beef cuts sliced very thinly across the grain (you can choose to use any cuts of beef combination of your choice you enjoy for pho - flank steak, sirloin, top round etc.)
• 1/2 to 1 medium yellow onion sliced paper thin, soaked in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes
• 2-3 scallions finely chopped
• 1 small bunch cilantro finely chopped

Other Optional Herbs or Garnishes:

• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts washed
• 1 bunch Thai basil
• 1 bunch Vietnamese mint
• 1 bunch of Vietnamese coriander
• Thai bird chilies
• lime wedges

Condiments:

• Sriracha sauce
• Hoisin sauce

Instructions

For the broth:

Parboiling bones:

1. Parboil the bones by placing them in a large stockpot filled with enough cold water to cover the bones.

2. Bring the water to a boil on high heat, and turn the heat down to medium, and allow to simmer for about 10 minutes.

3. The bones will start releasing impurities, skim out with a fine mesh strainer or ladle.

4. Once the water has simmered for about 10 minutes, empty the entire pot and collect the bones in a colander.

5. Rinse the bones to remove any impurities and scum. The cleaner the bones are, the clearer the broth will be.

Char Onion and Ginger:

1. Insert the cloves into the onion and char onion and ginger either over a gas stove or a BBQ grill to release the aroma of the spices.

Boil and Simmer Broth:

1. Wash out the stockpot pot and put the bones back in, filling the pot with water until it is 3/4 full. Turn the heat to high to bring back to a boil.
2. Add the charred onion and ginger to the pot along with the garlic, carrot, daikon and spices into the pot. If you don't want loose spices in your broth, tie up the spices either in a mesh ball or cheesecloth prior to adding to the pot.
3. Bring the pot to a boil and lower the heat to medium-low to a very gentle simmer.

4. Gently simmer for about 1.5-2 hours. Regularly skim the impurities rising to the surface of the broth using a fine mesh strainer or ladle. Remove the beef and oxtail bones with a slotted spoon to another bowl, rinse with cold water and set aside until almost ready to serve. This prevents unnecessary discoloration of the bones and meat.

5. Season the broth with fish sauce, salt and sugar and keep pot gently simmering for another hour.
6. Adjust seasonings at this point with more fish sauce or salt.
7. Add the cooked beef bones back into the pot 20 minutes prior to serving.

Rice Noodles:

1. Prepare noodles as per directions on package. Set aside until the beef broth is ready.

Preparing the Beef Slices:

1. You can ask your butcher to thinly slice it for you or to get the slices really thin, place the entire piece of meat in the freezer for about 30 minutes. Then thinly slice the meat across the grain with a sharp knife.

Assemble Pho Bowls:

1. When ready to serve, assemble bowls by distributing the cooked noodles among individual bowls. Lay thin slices of your choice of raw cuts of beef (sirloin or eye of round etc. ) on top of the noodles.

2. Top the bowl off with thin slices of onion and a sprinkling of chopped scallions and cilantro.

Serve:

1. Bring the broth up to a very gentle simmer.
2. Ladle the hot broth over the contents of each bowl ensuring that the raw slices of meat are covered with enough hot broth to just cook them. (This is why it is essential to cut the beef into very thin slices so they will cook through).
3. Add a daikon piece or beef bone to the bowl if desired.

4. Top with fresh bean sprouts. squeeze in some lime into the broth and serve with the optional herb plate/garnishes and condiments.

Recipe Notes

This recipe makes enough for 10 servings, feel free to adjust the amounts if you want to make less. Or you can freeze the leftover broth in freezer safe bags or containers to have it handy for next time.

****See Notes below for an easier less fuss version using prepared stock*

**** Also See Notes below for a Crock-Pot / slow cooker version*

Easier Pho Method - If you don't have the time to simmer the bones, a great shortcut is to substitute beef broth, chicken broth or vegetable broth with 3/4 of the water and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the charbroiled onion, ginger, garlic, daikon, carrot, spices and seasonings.
Follow steps 14 - 21 for assembly and pouring steaming broth over cooked rice noodles and serve with favorite herbs and lime wedge.

Crock-Pot / Slowcooker Method - For a less fuss Pho fix using your Crock-pot or slow cooker, you can simply throw the cleaned parboiled bones along with the charbroiled onion, ginger, garlic, daikon, carrot, spices and seasonings covered with clean water into your slow cooker and simmer on low for 6-8 hours.
Follow steps 14 - 21 for assembly and pouring steaming broth over cooked rice noodles and serve with favorite herbs and lime wedge.

Nutrition Facts

Vietnamese Pho – Beef Rice Noodle Soup Recipe (Pho Bo) with Shortcut and Slow Cooker Options

Amount Per Serving (1 bowl (1/10 recipe))

Calories 586 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Cholesterol 9mg3%

Sodium 764mg32%

Potassium 201mg6%

Carbohydrates 83g28%

Fiber 2g8%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 9g18%

Vitamin A 85IU2%

Vitamin C 5.3mg6%

Calcium 47mg5%

Iron 2.9mg16%

* Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy using the WPRM recipe calculator. It is best to make your own calculations to ensure accuracy. We expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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