If you are too familiar with dishes made from beef or chicken pho, let TasteVN suggest 2 recipes for delicious and attractive pork pho that you can make at home. The broth is light, sweet, and rich, so let’s get cooking this delicious dish!
1. Pork Bone Pho
Preparation
30 minutes
Cooking
2 hours 30 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pork Bone Pho Serves 3 people
Pho noodles 200 gr (can use instant pho or dry pho) Pork bones 400 gr Beef 300 gr Ginger 1 piece Shallots 3 pieces Cinnamon 1 stick Star anise 1 piece Cardamom 10 gr Pre-packaged pho seasoning 1 pack Green onions 1 tablespoon (chopped) Accompanying vegetables 500 gr (cilantro/cinnamon/ Vietnamese coriander/…) White wine 1 teaspoon Fish sauce 1 tablespoon Common seasoning a little (Sugar/ seasoning granules/ salt)
How to choose fresh ingredients
How to choose good bone marrow
- To select good pork bones, you should pay attention to the color and smell of the bones.
- Good pork bones usually have a bright pink color, not too dark or too light.
- Bones about 2 – 3 finger joints in size are considered good; if larger, they are usually from a sow.
- Additionally, fresh and good pork bones will not have a foul smell or be oozing fluid.
How to choose good beef
- To select good beef, you should observe the color of the meat. Fresh meat typically has a bright red color, not dark red, and the fat should be light yellow.
- Choose smaller, tender pieces of meat, with fine muscle fibers, and when pressed, they should have good elasticity.
- If you see small, white nodules that easily come off, it could be a sign of tapeworm. Also, avoid pre-cut small pieces of meat, as they often contain tapeworms.
How to make Pork Bone Pho
-
Prepare the pork bone marrow
After purchasing the pork bone marrow, you need to rinse it briefly with cold water, then soak it in diluted salt water for about 1 – 1.5 hours to clean off impurities and the fishy smell.
Remove the pork bones and rinse briefly with cold water once more. Then blanch the bones in boiling water for about 5 – 7 minutes to eliminate all dirt and the fishy smell of the meat.
Drain the bones and only then proceed to simmer the broth.
-
Preparing other ingredients
The beef you bought should be rubbed with 1 spoon of white wine and then rinsed with clean water, after that, place it in a colander to drain.
Place the beef on a clean cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut across the grain of the meat so that the beef does not become tough when eaten.
The accompanying vegetables should be washed with diluted salt water, then rinsed with clean water and placed in a colander to drain.
The ginger does not need to be peeled, just crush it. The shallots should have their skins removed and be left whole for the broth.
Tip:
- To cut good pieces of beef, you need to use a really sharp knife and cut decisively across the grain of the meat.
- Cutting repeatedly will cause the meat to become unappetizing and unattractive.
How to eliminate the smell of beef
- You can take a piece of ginger, roast it briefly, then crush it, and gently rub all the ginger on the beef, rinsing with clean water afterward.
- By soaking the piece of beef in white wine or rice washing water for about 10 – 15 minutes, then rinsing thoroughly with cold water.
See details: Effective ways to eliminate the smell of beef
-
Cook the broth
Place on the stove a non-stick pan and heat it up, add cinnamon, star anise, and cardamom to toast evenly. When fragrant, transfer everything to a small bowl.
Continue to add smashed ginger and onion to toast similarly; when aromatic, remove from the pan.
Put a pot on the stove and add about 1 liter of water, put the pork bones into the pot, then add a packet of prepared pho seasoning.
Add the toasted ingredients to cook with the pork bones. Cover the pot and simmer for about 2 – 2.5 hours.
When the simmering is almost done, season with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of seasoning powder, 1 tablespoon of fish sauce, and a little salt to taste. You should not add too many seasonings as the broth already has a sweet flavor.
After that, use a sieve or a cloth to filter the broth. Pour it into a new pot and bring to a gentle boil.
-
Blanching rice noodles and beef
Prepare a pot of boiling water, when the water is boiling vigorously, add the rice noodles and blanch for about 1 – 2 minutes until the noodles are soft. Then immediately place them into a bowl of cold water or rinse with cold water to maintain their chewiness.
Put the beef into a strainer to blanch it in the pot of boiling water, depending on whether you like it rare or well-done, adjust the time accordingly.
Transfer the rice noodles to a bowl, add onions, herbs, and beef on top, then pour hot broth over the bowl and enjoy.
-
Final product
The rice noodles are soft and chewy, the broth is rich and flavorful. The accompanying vegetables are crisp and fresh, and you can enjoy them with a bowl of black sauce or chili sauce which is excellent.
2. Pork pho
Preparation
30 minutes
Cooking
1 hour 20 minutes
Difficulty
Easy
Ingredients for Pork Pho Serves 4
Pork leg meat 1 kg Dry pho noodles 100 gr Pho spices 1 pack (star anise/ cinnamon/ cloves/ cardamom/..) Onion 1 bulb Ginger 1 bulb Red onion 2 bulbs Green onion 1 stalk Chili 1 piece Various fresh herbs 100 gr Vinegar 1 tablespoon Fish sauce 2 tablespoons Common spices a bit (Sugar/ salt/ seasoning powder)
How to choose fresh and delicious pork
- You should choose meat that has a light pink or bright red color, with a dry surface that does not contain any unusual sticky substances.
- The outer skin is soft, and the meat fibers slightly retract when cut, or if you press it and it feels firm, it is fresh meat.
- When smelling, it should have the characteristic scent of meat without being unpleasant, and there should be no sour smell for it to be a good choice.
- You should choose pork leg meat to make pho, as it helps enhance the flavor of the broth.
-800x450.jpg "2 Simple Ways to Cook Delicious, Super Tender, Sweet Pork Pho at Home 17")
Tools needed
How to prepare Pork Pho
-
Prepare the ingredients
Clean the pork leg thoroughly, washing the skin with water until it is completely clean.
Effective ways to eliminate the smell of pork
- You can rub salt evenly over the entire piece of meat for about 2 minutes, then rinse with water.
- Use a mixture of salt and vinegar (or lemon juice), gently massage the entire piece of pork, and finally rinse with cold water.
See details: How to effectively eliminate the smell of meat
Place the ready-made pho spice packet on aluminum foil, and put it in the oven for about 7 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius. After roasting, put all the pho spice packets into a cloth bag or filter basket.
Then wash the ginger, cut it in half lengthwise, wash the shallots, and place them on the aluminum foil layer to roast at 200 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes.
Smash the ginger and make a few cuts so that the spicy flavor and aroma can easily release.
Tip: If you do not have an oven, you can gradually put the spice packets into a pan and stir-fry until fragrant. Stir-fry similarly with the remaining ginger and shallots. -
Boiling Pork
Place a pot with cold water on the stove, ensuring the water level covers the meat, add 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
Boil over high heat until the mixture is completely dissolved and boiling, then drop the pork in for a quick blanch for about 5 minutes.
Tip: You should flip the meat regularly to ensure both sides are evenly seared.When the time is up, quickly remove the meat from the pot and rinse it under cold water immediately afterward.
-
Blanching Noodles
You can use dry noodle strands, place them in a bowl and pour boiling water over them, soak for about 5 minutes, then drain the soft noodles.
Rinse under running water, wait for excess water to drain, then place them back in the bowl.
-
Cooking the pho broth
Place a pot containing 3 liters of water on the stove, add a piece of pork, cut 1 onion in half and add it to the pot along with 1 tablespoon of salt.
Bring to a boil over high heat, and when the broth boils vigorously, reduce the heat to medium and cover the pot, cooking for another 20 minutes.
Tip: During the first period, you should skim off all the foam that rises to the surface to make the broth tastier and clearer!After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and keep the lid on for about 3 hours or overnight; this way, the broth will be sweeter and the meat will be more tender.
Return the pot to the stove, add all the ginger, roasted shallots, and the spice bag containing the roasted pho spices.
Cover tightly and simmer for about 30 minutes; check to see if the meat is tender, then remove the meat separately and discard the onion. Start seasoning with 1 tablespoon of sugar, 1 tablespoon of seasoning powder, and 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, adjusting to taste.
-
Completion
Sliced meat is arranged on top of the bowl of pho, along with fresh herbs.
You chop the green onion leaves finely, and cut the white part into thin strips. The remaining purple onion is halved lengthwise and then sliced thinly. The chili is also cut into thin slices.
Arrange a little of each ingredient in the bowl and then pour the broth evenly over it.
-
Final Product
A bowl of pork pho with a fragrant aroma typical of traditional pho, featuring the eye-catching white noodles, fresh green herbs, and a broth that is slightly golden and rich in flavor.
The thinly sliced meat is tender without being dry or tough, complemented by a few slices of spicy chili that enhance the taste significantly!
How to choose and where to buy pho noodles
- You can easily find fresh or dried pho noodles at traditional markets or nearby supermarkets.
- Alternatively, you can purchase directly from reputable e-commerce sites like bachhoaxanh.com to ensure quality!
How to blanch dry pho deliciously
- First, you should soak the dry pho in water for about 10 – 15 minutes to allow the noodles to expand and clean the pho.
- Then blanch the pho in boiling water for about 2 – 3 minutes, and do not cover the pot.
- Finally, rinse the pho with cold water or soak it in cold water until the pho is slightly cooled.
See more:
It’s really simple to cook this super delicious pork pho, isn’t it? Let’s get cooking right away. TasteVN wishes you success!
