Cabramatta-Style Phở Bò
A rich, aromatic Vietnamese beef noodle soup simmered with charred spices, served over tender rice noodles and fine beef slices.
- Prep
- 25 min
- Cook
- 180 min
- Total
- 205 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 540 kcal
Equipment
- •Large stockpot
- •Fine mesh strainer
- •Frypan
- •Tongs
- •Ladle
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 540 kcal
- fat
- 14 g
- carbs
- 62 g
- fibre
- 3 g
- protein
- 42 g
- calories
- 540 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Place beef bones and chuck into a large stockpot, cover with cold water, and boil rapidly for 8 minutes.
- 2
Drain bones and chuck into a colander, then wash thoroughly under cold water to remove scum.
- 3
Place halved ginger and onions cut-side down in a hot dry frypan until deeply charred and fragrant.
- 4
Toast star anise, cinnamon stick, and cardamom in the dry frypan for 2 minutes until aromatic.
- 5
Return clean bones and chuck to the pot with 4 litres of fresh water and bring to a simmer.
- 6
Add charred ginger, onions, toasted spices, fish sauce, and rock sugar to the pot.
- 7
Simmer gently uncovered for 2.5 hours, skimming any surface fat occasionally until broth is rich and clear.
- 8
Transfer the beef chuck to a board, let it cool slightly, and slice thinly.
- 9
Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a clean saucepan and keep at a rolling simmer.
- 10
Cook rice noodles in a separate pot of boiling water for 3 minutes, drain, and divide between four bowls.
- 11
Arrange sliced chuck, raw fillet slices, spring onions, and coriander over the hot noodles.
- 12
Ladle boiling hot broth directly over raw beef to cook it instantly, then serve with fresh bean sprouts.
Chef's tips
Place the eye fillet in the freezer for 15 minutes before cutting to make slicing wafer-thin pieces much easier. Always keep the broth at a gentle simmer rather than a hard boil to keep it clear.
Ingredient substitutions
- yellow rock sugar → raw sugar
- beef marrow bones → beef brisket on the bone
- beef eye fillet → beef sirloin or rump steak
Storage
Store the strained broth and cooked beef separately in airtight containers in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Bring the broth to a rapid boil on the stovetop before pouring over freshly prepared noodles and raw meat.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Boiling the broth too vigorously, which emulsifies fat and leaves the soup cloudy.
- •Pouring lukewarm broth over raw meat, resulting in tough, undercooked beef.
- •Skipping the initial bone blanching step, which leads to a murky broth with a strong odour.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Cabramatta-Style Phở Bò?
Sign in to save this recipe to a collection. Bookmarking works without an account — it stays on this device.
Sign in for collectionsSimilar recipes
Dishes with the same spirit, spice level and course.
Recipes using similar ingredients
Use what you already bought for this recipe.
