The healthiest comfort food on the menu.
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If I had a dime for every time I heard someone mention on a rainy night that they were going home to curl up with a blanket and order phở, I could buy a plane ticket to Vietnam and order the OG version.
The origins of this dish go back many years, possibly even before French colonizers started expanding their rule in the 1880s. City dwellers from Nam Định and villagers from Vân Cù, both in northern Vietnam, reported eating phở prior to French rule. However, modern phở quickly gained popularity in the early 19th century when the sudden demand for beef by French colonists allowed southern Chinese workers to buy beef bones to make soups similar to those eaten back home. At the same time, the French introduced the western onion to the Vietnamese, which would become a critical ingredient for making phở.
When Vietnam was partitioned in 1954, over one million northerners fled to the south, allowing traditional phở recipes to meet southern ingredients like lime, hoisin and sriracha for the first time. After the end of the Vietnam War, refugees brought phở to Little Saigons and Vietnam towns in Paris, Canada, Australia and the United States. The U.S. claims 8,000 Vietnamese restaurants as of today.
What’s So Special about Beef phở?
Many different types of phở dazzle taste buds, with phở bò (beef phở) being the most popular. Whether you buy a bowl off the streets of Ho Chi Minh City for $2, spend $18 in a trendy U.S. restaurant or drop $170 on Hanoi’s lux version with gold leaf, wagyu beef and foie gras, whipping up a batch at home will be cost-effective and feed you for days.
How can a dish be both filling and light? The slightly spiced broth and tender vegetables are balanced with beef meatballs to give the feeling of a full five-course meal, without paying the price on the scale. A wide variety of aromatics and sauces make up the delicate flavor palate, and can be adjusted to any person’s savory or sweet preference. Me? I like it SPICY.
Is Instant Pot phở Healthy?
Phở is a dieter’s dream; if the beef meatballs seem too heavy, a quick switch out for chicken will give you phở gà, a mainstay of southern Vietnam. Rice noodles are the healthiest noodle in the market, the truckload of onions and bean sprouts will make the doctor happy and broth consumption has been shown to reduce inflammation and build muscle. Keep an eye on the sodium if you are salt-conscious though.
Rice noodles are a treat and meatballs can wow a crowd, but the broth is the star of this dish. Beef bones give richness, while star anise, cinnamon, coriander and ginger add a delicate complexity. Noodles absorb the broth to become plump and juicy and the vegetables marinate and adopt the delicious flavor profile. Drink the broth straight for a meal on the go!
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5 lb beef bones
- 1 large onion, halved
- 5 slices ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6-star anise
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 15 cups water
- Thin slices of beef (for serving)
- Beef meatballs (optional, for serving)
- Thai basil (for garnish)
- Lime wedges (for garnish)
- Bean sprouts (for garnish)
- Sliced green onions (for garnish)
- Chopped cilantro (for garnish)
- Sliced Thai chili (optional, for garnish)
- Hoisin sauce (optional, for serving)
- Sriracha sauce (optional, for serving)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep
Parboil bones, toast spices, and char aromatics.
Cook
Pressure cook with spices and aromatics.
Assemble
Serve with noodles, beef, and garnishes.
Devour!
FAQs & Tips
Frozen phở broth will last 4 – 6 months in the freezer; the fridge will keep it fresh for about 1 week. Only add in noodles for that night’s serving as stored soupy noodles will absorb the broth and start to break down. Once home for the night, all that is needed is a quick boil of noodles and broth to make this a quick and easy meal.
Once you have the basic recipe down, get creative with ingredients. A dish like phở is highly versatile and can be tailor-made to suit a person’s specific tastes. Garlic, seafood, pork, broccoli, cabbage and an endless list of other vegetables will work great.
Serving Suggestions
Scallion pancakes, Spring Rolls and cucumber salad are tasty side dishes keeping with the Vietnamese theme. Also, a simple side salad and a crusty baguette will also work great.
The Instant Pot is a kitchen miracle and can streamline the preparation of most meals. For more phở ideas, check out these recipes for Vegetarian Phở and Chicken Phở, both of which can be adapted for the Instant Pot.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb beef bones
- 1 large onion halved
- 5 slices ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 6 star anise
- 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp whole cloves
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 15 cups water
- Thin slices of beef for serving
- Beef meatballs optional, for serving
- Thai basil for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
- Bean sprouts for garnish
- Sliced green onions for garnish
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
- Sliced Thai chili optional, for garnish
- Hoisin sauce optional, for serving
- Sriracha sauce optional, for serving
Instructions
- Parboil beef bones in a pot of water for 5 minutes to remove impurities, then rinse and set aside.
- Toast cinnamon sticks, star anise, coriander seeds, and cloves in a pan until fragrant, then set aside.
- Char onion halves and ginger slices in a pan until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes.
- Place toasted spices in a spice bag. Add beef bones, spice bag, charred onion and ginger, water, fish sauce, salt, and sugar to the Instant Pot.
- Seal the Instant Pot and set to high pressure for 1 hour. After cooking, release pressure and remove the spice bag.
- If using beef meatballs, add to the broth and set the Instant Pot to sauté mode, cooking until meatballs are heated through.
- Assemble bowls with cooked rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, and pour the hot broth over. Garnish with green onions, cilantro, and other toppings as desired.
Nutrition Info:
Recipes written and produced on Food Faith Fitness are for informational purposes only.
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