This is a perfect winter, comforting meal!

Picture above: We also made homemade pork and beef balls (in the picture) hence it looks really imperfect! But it did taste pretty darn good!

Picture below: I love that I can enjoy this as a low carb meal that doesn’t taste “healthy at all”. You can see the shiritaki noodles I used in the picture below. I promise you it tastes just AS GOOD even without regular pho noodles!

After moving to Houston, we have absolutely been spoilt with all the wonderful food/restaurants – definitely a step up from when  I loved  out west in Utah. With so many diverse groups of cultures and countries, the food scene here is quite remarkable. Most noticeably we have a large Vietnamese population in Houston. With so many pho restaurants/stores to choose from, we really are spoilt and have enjoyed some very GOOD Vietnamese pho! I use to like pho, but I have to say I LOVE PHO now. The key is really in a good broth and pairing it with all the right condiments! We were determined to make it at home given that we couldn’t just buy this everyday! It really is much more affordable AND you can make this in large batches! In reality, it does take a little bit of time. The instant pot really speeds things up for us however we do like to refrigerate this overnight to ensure we get a pure, clean broth and separate out the fat. While this is a labor of love, I’ve learnt that traditional pho usually takes 24 hours without the help of an instant pot. So while this does require preparation 1 day ahead, you actually also spend a lot of time waiting vs. actually actively cooking which is great! This also feeds a crowd and is a great winter dinner option for family and friends!

As fall is now here and the winter months approach, I’ll be sure to pull this recipe out often thanks to my handy dandy instant pot. Who can say no to a comforting bowl of warm soup with lots of delicious fragrant aromatics balanced with both a tang and a kick?

Vietnamese Beef Pho

 

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Author: Unconventional Cooks

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef bones
• 2 lbs beef shank or beef ribs (optional, if you want to eat beef shank/beef ribs with the noodles or you can just buy regular beef shabu shabu meat to add in when you're ready to eat)!
• 1 large white/yellow onion
• 1 large palm size of ginger
• 14 cups of water
• 2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar (or allulose/monkfruit)
• 1 bag of pho spices (old man's brand - you can get it at asian market, it comes with a spice bag)
• Seasonings AFTER The broth is cooked:
• 3 tbsp Vietnamese fish sauce
• 1.5 tbsp chicken bouillon powder
• To serve:
• Pho Noodles (or Konjac noodles for low carb option)
• Meat of Choice - Beef/pork balls/ hotpot beef meat
• Green onions, finely chopped
• White onion, finely sliced
• Thai Basil
• Sriracha
• Lime juice

Instructions

1. Prepping the Beef Bones: Put beef bones into your instant pot OR a pot over the Stove. Cover with enough water and bring to boil. You should boil the meat for at least 5 mins at a rolling boil (Instant pot - used the sauté function and boiled the bones on high to blanch)
2. Once youre done, let it cool. Be careful it's very hot! Once cooled enough, drain and wash the bones. Rinse each bone under water to wash off any bone fragments.
3. Aromatics:: Peel your onion and chop the ends off, Keep the onion whole.
4. Wash your ginger (you don't need to peel) and chop into half lengthwise.OPTIONAL: Toast the ginger and onion cut side down on a dry pan to char ( I usually skip this)
5. BROTH: Put the cooked bones back into the instant pot, with the prepped ginger, whole onion, 14 cups of water, salt and sugar. Cook on high pressure for 60 mins. Natural release for 30 mins then quick release.
6. Next, pour out the pho spices into a flat pan. Over low heat toast and char the spices until you can really smell the spices and/or the it's starting to brown! Transfer into the spice bag.
7. If using beef shank or ribs, add in the whole piece along with the pho spice bag into the instant pot once it has released completely.
8. Cook again at high pressure for another 45 mins. Once done, do natural release for 20 mins then quick release
9. Remove the beef shank/rib and put directly into a bowl of ice water and let cool and slice. You can store this in the fridge separately to serve on the side!
10. Let the broth cool completely then refrigerate overnight so you can strain out the fat the next day, which should have hardened at the top in one layer.. If you have a fat separator, you can use this vs. waiting and refrigerating overnight.
11. Next day when you are ready to eat, take the broth and skim out all the fat. The fat should now be all on the top.
12. Then carefully strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer. You want to strain all the bits of bones/fat that so you get clear broth. Throw away all the bones!
13. Season the broth with fish sauce and chicken bouillon powder. Taste and adjust seasoning!
14. Once you are ready to eat, heat up broth and add in your meat of choice to warm it up. If using shabu meat, make sure its not overcooked.
15. If you're using regular pho noodles, cook according to the package instructions.If you are using shiritaki/tofu noodles also follow the instructions - typically you just need to strain and wash!
16. Pour the broth and meatballs over your prepared noodles. Add sliced beef shank, and other toppings.
17. We find that the toppings is really what makes this good - don't skip out on the lime juice, fresh herbs, aromatics and the kick from the sriracha!

3.5.3251

LOVE,

Zoe, Mia & Raena