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Pho (pronounced “fa”) is a traditional Vietnamese soup dish made with beef bones, meat, aromatics, and rice noodles. It’s known to simmer for hours on the stovetop to make a delicious bone and meat broth but today we have a much quicker version!

Pho is famous for a reason. It is one of the most delicious soups in the world! The flavors of the broth is light yet rich, with a complex aromatic flavor and hint of sweetness to compliment the savory.

Making pho in a pressure cooker is my new favorite thing. It cuts down the cooking time exponentially and makes the entire process much simpler.

Start the recipe by preparing your aromatics for the broth. This is a combination of onion, ginger, and whole spices. Different recipes use different whole spices-I like a combination of cinnamon stick, star anise, peppercorns, and coriander seeds. Cut the onion in half and add it to a dry pan over high heat along with the rest of the ingredients. Toast until the onion develops some char and the whole spices release their fragrance-about 3-4 minutes.

In the meantime wash beef bones really well. Beef bones can be found at a butcher or meat store. They are usually sold in bulk and for very cheap-I got a bag of 5 pounds for $5! I like to wash them with very hot water to get as clean as possible. Add beef bones, chunks of boneless meat (like chuck), and toasted aromatics to a pressure cooker. Top with enough water to cover and seal pressure cooker. Cook on high pressure for 45-50 minutes.

Once it’s done, release the pressure and open the pot. Now remove the bones and add the rest of your broth ingredients-fish sauce, salt, and sugar. I like to taste at this point and adjust seasoning as needed. If you’ve never cooked with fish sauce-don’t be alarmed! It adds a wonderful umami flavor and is an important component to this dish.

Pho is traditionally served with rice noodles and toppings. Prepare thin rice noodles according to the package. Then rinse the noodles, drain, and set aside.

The rest of the toppings are basil, cilantro, jalapeño slices, sliced onions kept in cold water to mellow out and keep crisp, and lime wedges.

To serve, start by placing a handful of noodles in a bowl. Pour over broth through a strainer to catch any aromatic bits. Top with a chunk of tender meat, a bone with cartilage if you like, onions, cilantro, basil, jalapeños if you like spice, and a squeeze of lime juice. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 5 lbs beef bones
• 2 pound boneless beef chunks
• About 5-6 cups water
• 1 large onion, cut in half
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• 2 star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tbsp peppercorn
• 1 tbsp coriander seeds
• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 tbsp salt

To serve:

• Prepared rice noodles
• Fresh basil
• Fresh cilantro
• Jalapeño, sliced
• Lime wedges
• Optional: sriracha, hoisin sauce

Directions

1. Place onion (cut side down), ginger, and aromatics in a dry pan over high heat until onions develop a char

2. Wash bones very well then add to a pot with beef, toasted aromatics, and enough water to cover

3. Pressure cook on high for 45 minutes

4. Once cooked and meat is tender, remove bones, separate meat, and strain broth

5. Cook rice noodles according to package directions. Rinse with cold water and set aside

6. Assemble a bowl of pho by adding rice noodles and topping with broth. Add meat, any or all optional toppings and serve with chopsticks and a spoon. Enjoy!

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Let’s chat! If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts! Please leave a comment 🙂