Gluten Free Pho (Beef Pho)
This Vietnamese Beef Pho takes about 45-minutes to make. It's a crowd-pleaser, really healthy gluten-free and low-sodium!
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 344kcal
Ingredients
- 2 Large Yellow Onions
- 1 Piece of Ginger
- 3 Large Carrots
- 6 Cups Low-Sodium Beef Broth
- 2 Whole Star Anise
- 3 Whole Cloves
- 2 Cinnamon Sticks
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 12 ounces Sirloin Steak
- 8 ounces Rice Noodles
Instructions
- Peel and quarter the onions and ginger, and cut the carrots into thirds.2 Large Yellow Onions, 1 Piece of Ginger, 3 Large Carrots
- Place all the onion and ginger on a baking sheet and put it under the broiler, about 7 minutes per side, until charred.
- In a medium pot that you will use to make the broth, toast the star anise, cloves and cinnamon sticks for about 2-3 minutes. Toast for two minutes, but shake frequently so the spices don’t burn!2 Whole Star Anise, 2 Cinnamon Sticks, 3 Whole Cloves
- Once the charred onion and ginger, along with the carrots and beef broth into the pot with the toasted spices. Bring to a boil and then bring down to a simmer for 30-minutes.6 Cups Low-Sodium Beef Broth
- As broth simmers, slice sirloin thinly. Either cut it straight from the fridge or freeze it for a few minutes. This helps firm up the steak to slice even thinner with ease.12 ounces Sirloin Steak
- Set the pot for the noodles on to boil and prep your pho toppings - cut the lime into wedges, slice the scallion, wash and chop the cilantro, etc.
- Cook noodles according to directions.8 ounces Rice Noodles
- Once cooked, remove from the stove, strain and pour cold water directly over to prevent them from further cooking.
- Place the noodles into each bowl for pho.
- Once the broth simmers for at least 30 minutes, strain the broth, removing the vegetables and spices. Add salt (add more to taste) and stir.1 teaspoon Salt
- Place the thinly sliced beef over each bowl of noodles.
- Ladle the strained pho broth over each bowl of noodles and steak. It will cook the beef in front of your eyes! Make sure to ladle directly over the steak to cook it more.
- Add toppings to your desire!
Notes
If you can't find any shaved beef, simply buy a sirloin steak of the same amount and slice it extremely thin. Make sure the sirloin steak is cold while you slice it'll be easier!
Leftover pho can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to five days. Pho can also be frozen for up to three months.
Beef Broth - To make this a quick pho recipe, using beef broth helps add flavor without taking hours. Substitute for chicken or vegetable broth. The chicken and beef broths will give the pho a richer, more in-depth flavor.
Beef - Because the beef is cooked after pouring the broth over, you want the thinnest sliced beef possible. I prefer to use sirloin steak and slice it on my own to ensure thinner slices. Hot tip! Freeze or chill the beef right before slicing it. You can also use pre-purchased very thin sliced steak.
White Onion - Use any kind of onion, but white onion is the traditional.
Ginger Root - I recommend using whole ginger root as it is charred for extra flavor. Substitute for minced ginger, and add directly to the rice noodle soup.
Whole Spices - This pho recipe uses whole spices of cloves, cinnamon stick and star anise to impart extra flavor in a quick time. You will need to toast the whole spices first to release some oils. Substitute star anise for anise seeds instead. No substitute for cinnamon stick.
Rice Noodles - these should look almost like fettuccine noodles in that they are fat and long.
Nutrition
Serving: 1bowl | Calories: 344kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 1393mg | Potassium: 1028mg | Fiber: 1g | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg