Vietnamese Beef Pho - Pho Bo
6-8 Servings
1:00
5:00
Moderate - You’ll be right
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Few dishes are as iconic as a steaming bowl of Vietnamese Beef Pho (Pho Bo). It's a recipe built on patience rather than complexity, where beef bones, aromatics and carefully balanced spices slowly transform into a clear, deeply savoury broth that's rich in flavour and umami yet remarkably light on the palate.
For me, great pho has always been about finding balance. The beef should be the hero, supported by fragrant spices and fresh herbs rather than overwhelmed by them. That's exactly what this recipe delivers, a traditional bowl of beef pho inspired by my family's recipe and refined over three generations.
What is Pho Bo?
Phở Bò is Vietnam's most recognisable noodle soup, made by slowly simmering beef bones to create a delicate yet flavour-packed broth. Served with silky rice noodles, tender brisket, rare beef, fresh herbs and crisp bean sprouts, every bowl is layered with flavour, texture and aroma.
The secret to exceptional pho lies in the spice blend. Every family has their own version, and ours has continued to evolve over three generations. Today, that same blend is available in my Duncan Lu Pho Spice Sachets, making it easier than ever to recreate an authentic bowl of pho at home. Each food-safe muslin sachet contains our carefully balanced blend of eight whole spices, delivering the signature aroma that defines a great bowl of beef pho.
Three generations of pho
I was first introduced to Pho Bo by my grandma. Her broth reflected her South Vietnamese heritage, it was generous with beef, slightly sweeter and wonderfully herbaceous, with star anise taking centre stage.
My mum's pho evolved in a different direction. She relied heavily on beef marrow bones, creating a broth that was incredibly rich while still remaining clean and light. Her spice profile was more restrained, with whole cinnamon quills notably providing a gentle warmth rather than dominating the bowl.
My version sits somewhere in between, while staying true to the flavours I grew up with. Like Mum's, it's rich yet clean, but I've reduced the sweetness and focused on building savoury umami using dried sandworms or dried shrimp and anchovy salt. I've also replaced cinnamon quills with cassia bark, which I find delivers a more pronounced woody aroma that pairs beautifully with beef. After years of refining and comparing recipes across three generations, this has become our family's final iteration, for now, and it's the exact blend you'll find inside every Duncan Lu Pho Spice Sachet.
How to make the best pho?
Resist adding sugar until the very end. During a long simmer, sugar can over-caramelise, darkening the broth and creating flavours that are more suited to a braise than a traditional pho.
Similarly, avoid naturally sweet vegetables like carrots. They release sugars that can cloud the clean, delicate flavour you're trying to achieve. Instead, use daikon, which helps tenderise the brisket while absorbing the rich pho broth, making it a delicious addition to the finished bowl.
Finally, don't fall into the trap of thinking longer is always better. A beautiful Vietnamese beef pho should be light, fragrant and packed with savoury umami, not thick like a stew. Through decades of cooking pho, I've found that a 4 to 6-hour simmer delivers the perfect balance of richness, clarity and depth.
Whether this is your first bowl of homemade pho or your hundredth, I hope this recipe helps you experience the same flavours I grew up with around my family's table. If you'd like to recreate our signature broth with confidence, try my Duncan Lu Pho Spice Sachets, our three-generation family spice blend that's been carefully refined over decades and is now available to enjoy in your own kitchen.
Ingredients:
Pho broth
3kg beef bone marrow bones, cut into medium chunks
2 brown onions
70g ginger, slightly crushed
½ bunch spring onions
1 bunch coriander stalks
2 tablespoons sea salt
45g dried sandworms or dried shrimp
1kg beef brisket
1 medium daikon, peeled and cut into medium chunks
60ml Son fish sauce
3 teaspoons anchovy salt
2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon MSG (optional)
40g rock sugar (optional)
7.5L water
Other:
800g dried banh pho rice noodles or 2kg fresh pho rice noodles
400g beef tendon balls, halved
400g topside beef or eye round, thinly sliced
½ bunch spring onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch coriander, roughly chopped
1 bunch saw tooth coriander, thinly sliced (optional)
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 bunch Thai basil
200g bean sprouts
1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges
2 chillies, sliced
White pepper
100g Hoisin sauce
80g Sriracha hot sauce
Special equipment:
Large stock pot (11L minimum)
Method:
How to make beef pho broth:
1. In a pre-heated fan-forced oven at 220C, roast brown onions and ginger for 20 minutes.
2. In a large stock pot half-filled with water, bring to the boil then add beef bone marrow bones (sometimes referred to as beef knuckle bones) and return to the boil then discard water to remove impurities and wash well under running cold water. Return bones to clean stock pot along with roasted onions, ginger, ½ bunch spring onions, coriander stalks, sea salt, dried sandworms or dried shrimp and 7.5L water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 5 hours.
Duncan’s tip: Skim off any impurities and foam throughout the simmering process for a clear broth.
3. After 2 hours, add brisket and daikon radish
4. After 4 hours total, add one sachet of Duncan Lu’s Pho Spices
Duncan’s tip: If you prefer a stronger ‘pho’ aroma, add an additional sachet of pho spices.
5. At the end of the 5 hour simmer, remove the brisket and allow to cool completely before slicing thinly against the grain then storing in fridge. Collect and discard as many spring onions, onions and ginger as possible. Skim off excess tallow and reserve to the side.
Duncan’s tip: For extra richness, serve hot beef tallow on the side with batons of spring onion stalks. Simply warm the tallow in the pot, then pour it into a small bowl of spring onion stalks. Spoon the tallow into individual bowls to your preference. Alternatively, store and use as an oil/fat base for stir fry’s or braises.
Duncan’s tip: Some beef knuckle bones come with tendons attached, if you are lucky to have some, carefully cut them off the bones and set aside. Add to your bowl of pho if you fancy tendons for the gelatinous texture.
6. Season broth with 60ml fish sauce, 3 teaspoons anchovy salt, 2 teaspoon sea salt and 1 teaspoon MSG. If you prefer you broth on the sweeter side, season with up to 40g rock sugar to your taste.
Duncan’s tip: Before serving, taste the broth and if it’s to your liking proceed to assembling. If not, season with additional fish sauce, anchovy salt, sea salt of MSG. It’s always best to slightly over season, as once rice noodles and garnishes are added to the bowl, the broth will balance out.
Duncan’s tip: Pho is best enjoyed the day after it's made, allowing time for the broth's many flavours to meld, deepen, and come into balance
How to cook dried rice noodles:
1. While waiting for the broth, cover the dried rice noodles in water, soak for an hour, then strain and set aside. Skip this step if using fresh pho noodles.
How to make a bowl of pho:
1. Add beef tendon balls to the broth, bring it to the boil then simmer for 5 minutes.
2. In small batches, place dried rice noodles in a medium pot of boiling water for 1-2 minutes or until soft, strain well then place in a serving bowl. If using fresh pho noodles, with your hands carefully separate noodles to avoid clumps, blanch in boiling water 10 seconds, strain well then place into serving bowl.
Duncan’s tip: I like using a noodle strainer for this step to make it easier to collect the noodles.
3. Layer thinly sliced rare beef over the noodles, warm up beef brisket in the pot for 30 seconds then pour into bowl along with broth and pieces of daikon radish and beef tendon balls.
4. Garnish with freshly cracked black pepper and a healthy pinch of a combination of thinly sliced spring onions, coriander, saw tooth coriander and red onion.
5. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime, fresh chillies, and a dipping sauce for the meat consisting of a combination of hoisin and sriracha on the side.
Duncan’s tip: Refrain from adding hoisin sauce and Sriracha hot sauce into the broth as this can overwhelm and blanket the natural and aromatic flavours in the broth.
