Originally born in Vietnam, pho is a dish now found in cities around the world. It features a rich, savory, aromatic broth, along with rice noodles, thinly sliced beef, and an assortment of fresh veg, such as onions, scallions, bean sprouts, and Thai basil.
We’ve enjoyed a large bowl of pho in cities ranging from Boulder, Colorado, to Berlin, Germany. Since it’s often and easily made gluten-free, it has become a go-to option when traveling, whether for business or pleasure. But alas, it isn’t always GF. For example, the Vietnamese restaurant just 5 minutes from our home swaps a lighter, blander broth when making the GF version. It’s still good, but not as good as their “real” thing.
This recipe coaxes all the delicious flavor of an authentic Vietnamese pho out of your home kitchen, where you can rest assured it’s always 100% gluten-free.
Vietnamese Pho
Ingredients
For the broth:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 white onion, halved and sliced
- 7-10 cloves garlic, smashed
- 6 inches fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks lemon grass, halved and hammered
- 8 cups GF beef broth
- 4 cups water
- 6 tbsp tamari GF / wheat-free soy sauce
- 4 tbsp GF fish sauce
To finish the pho:
- 8-10 ounces vermicelli rice noodles
- 1 white onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 pound beef top sirloin, thinly sliced
- black pepper
- 4 scallions, sliced
- bean sprouts
- slices of lime
- Thai basil
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pot. Then add the onion and garlic and sauté a few minutes until the onions are soft and translucent.
- Add the remainder of the broth ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 45 minutes.
- Strain out all the broth ingredients, then return the broth to high heat and bring up to a boil.
- Add the vermicelli rice noodles and thinly sliced onion, and cook just until the rice noodles are tender (1–2 minutes).
- Add the thinly sliced beef and season the broth to taste with freshly cracked black pepper.
- Serve with the scallions, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and Thai basil on the side for each person to garnish their bowls individually.
Super! The broth is such an important base and I have always struggled to get just the right flavor. Can’t wait to cook this one up.