Vietnamese Beef Stew Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Bo Sot Vang)
Vietnamese beef stew pho noodle soup (Pho bo sot vang) is a hearty and comforting noodle soup. This noodle soup features tender beef, flavorful broth and amazing aroma from pho spices. You can make it on the stovetop, in a slow cooker or even in a pressure cooker.
- Prep time
- 15 min
- Cook time
- 3 hr
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 2.5 lb beef chuck
- 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
- 3 medium tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1 cinnamon stick ((about 0.2 oz or 5g))
- 4 star anises
- 5 whole cloves ((optional))
- 1 shallot
- 1 small piece of ginger ((about 1 inch))
- 6 cups water ((or stock for richer flavor))
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- olive oil
- rice noodles
- scallion, finely sliced
- Cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 1/2 teaspoons five-spice powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- black pepper
Instructions
- 1
Trim off some excess fat if needed and then cut beef chuck into 1.5'' to 2'' cubes. Marinate for 2-4 hours with all the marinade ingredients if you have time.
- 2
Dice onion. Remove seeds from tomatoes (optional step) and cut into wedges.
- 3
In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast star anise, cloves and cinnamon for just a few minutes until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the cloves. You can skip this step if short on time. Put all spices in a spice bag.
- 4
Peel shallot and ginger, toast in a small skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. You can skip this step if short on time.
- 5
Place a heavy-bottom pot or pan over medium high heat. Add oil, when the pan is nice and hot, add beef cubes in a single layer and sear all sides. Work in small batches if you have a lot of meat to sear. Transfer seared meat to a plate or slow cooker, depending on how you will continue to cook the dish.
- 6
Lower heat to medium. If there's a lot of drippings in the pot, discard it. Add a little more oil and then add onion. Sauté for 1-2 minutes and then add tomatoes and garlic. Sauté for one more minute to slightly soften the tomatoes and then add red wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has cooked off.
- 7
Transfer the onion, tomatoes and red wine mixture to the slow cooker with the beef or add the beef back to the pot. Add the spice bag, shallot, ginger and water.
- 8
If using a slow cooker, cook on high for about 3 hours or to desired tenderness. If using a pot on the stovetop, simmer to desired tenderness. For pressure cooker (Instant Pot), see instructions in the recipe notes. Add fish sauce and adjust seasoning to your liking with more or less fish sauce and salt. If you find the soup too strong and concentrated, add some more water to dilute it.
- 9
Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions. Divide noodles into serving bowls and ladle the beef stew soup over the noodles. Top with scallion and cilantro.