PhoGuide

Make it
at home

Proper pho recipes. Long-simmered broth, the right spices, no shortcuts that actually work. Worth every hour.

A word before you start

Pho broth takes time. The classic beef recipe needs a minimum of six hours, ideally twelve. Plan accordingly -- most home cooks make the broth the day before and assemble the bowls fresh. The active work is maybe two hours. The rest is just the pot.

Full recipe

Classic Beef Pho

Pho Bo

The original. Beef bone broth simmered with charred onion, ginger, and whole spices. Served with your choice of cuts and a full herb plate.

Broth time 6-12 hrs
Active time ~2 hrs
Serves 4-6
Difficulty Patient
See the recipe →

Chicken Pho

Pho Ga

A lighter, cleaner broth made from whole chicken. Quicker than beef pho and equally rewarding. Underrated and underordered.

Broth time 3-4 hrs
Active time ~1.5 hrs
Serves 4
See the recipe →

Vegetarian Pho

Pho Chay

A serious vegetarian version built on roasted vegetable stock with the same spice profile as beef pho. No compromises, no apologies.

Broth time 2-3 hrs
Active time ~1 hr
Serves 4
See the recipe →

What you need before you start

Pho does not require specialist equipment, but a few things make a real difference.

A large stockpot

At least 8 litres. Pho broth for four to six people needs room. A 10-12 litre pot is ideal and leaves space to skim without the broth boiling over.

A fine mesh strainer

For straining the finished broth. A fine mesh catches everything the bones leave behind. A colander alone is not enough -- you want clarity.

A spice sachet

Whole spices go in a muslin bag or small mesh ball so you can remove them cleanly. Loose spices cloud the broth and are nearly impossible to strain out completely.

Reliable low heat

You need precise, sustained low heat for the long simmer. Gas gives the most control. Induction is excellent. Fluctuating coil hobs make it hard to hold the right temperature.

Where to find the right ingredients

Some pho ingredients are not in every supermarket. Here is what to look for and where.

Beef knuckle and marrow bones Ask your butcher directly -- most will have them, often cheaply. Asian grocery stores almost always stock them. Supermarkets sometimes carry them labelled as "soup bones."
Star anise, black cardamom, Vietnamese cinnamon Asian grocery stores are the best source -- better selection, better price, fresher stock. Look for the spices loose or in small bags rather than the tiny jars, which are often stale.
Banh pho (flat rice noodles) Any Asian grocery store. Look for flat rice noodles specifically -- not round rice vermicelli, not glass noodles. Medium width (5-8mm) is the most forgiving for home cooking.
Fish sauce Available in most supermarkets now. For pho, Vietnamese fish sauce (nuoc mam) is preferred. Three Crabs and Phu Quoc are reliable widely-available brands.
Thai basil, culantro, bean sprouts Asian grocery stores reliably stock all three. Bean sprouts are widely available everywhere. Culantro is harder to find -- "sawtooth herb" is another name to look for.
Rock sugar Asian grocery stores. Large irregular crystals or lumps wrapped in paper. If unavailable, granulated white sugar substitutes but the flavour is slightly less nuanced.