Easy Faux Short Rib Pho {Vietnamese Pho Bo Recipe}
This flavorful, soul-satisfying, and most importantly, easy Pho Bo recipe is a perfect bowl of comfort. It freezes well, is super customizable, and leftovers keep for days! There’s only 15 minutes of hands-on cooking time!
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I’m not going to pretend this is an authentic Phở Bò recipe but it rings true to the spirit of the famous Vietnamese soup.
The most important part of this Vietnamese beef noodle soup is the aromatic, light, but umami-packed pho broth, and that, we have in spades. We’re taking some short cuts however that saves us from charring and chopping and hunting down hard to find ingredients.
This pho recipe still requires the broth to simmer for a couple of hours, but you don’t need to do a thing while that is happening. Just sit back, relax and let the sweet spiced aroma take over your house. If you’d like, you can simmer the broth in the slow cooker if you’re going to be out of the house while it’s cooking.
When it’s ready you’ll have soothing bowls of Faux Pho. A respectful variation that gives us all the feels without the work.
By the way, if you want an easy Asian-inspired meal that is easy and quick, try my Imperial chicken with garlic rice, ginger hoisin tofu stir-fry, or Thai-inspired butternut squash and carrot soup.
What Is Vietnamese Pho Bo?
Before we dive into my version, let’s talk about what real Pho Bo is, in case you’re unfamiliar. Pho Bo (pronounced “fuh boh”) is a beloved Vietnamese noodle soup that features a rich and flavorful beef broth. It’s a culinary staple in Vietnam and has gained immense popularity worldwide.
The star of Pho Bo is a clear beef broth flavored with aromatic spices that is simmered for a long time, typically overnight. Then right before serving rice noodles and various cuts of beef are added to each bowl of soup. Lastly, the soup is served with lots of garnishes like bean sprouts, jalapeño slices, fresh herbs, and lime wedges for each person to add as they please.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy: just like my skirt steak recipe, it literally takes only 15 minutes of hands-on prep time
- Flavorful: filled with traditional pho flavors of star anise, black pepper, and ginger
- Satisfying: a warm, cozy blend of flavors
- Adaptable: add other spices to compliment this simple recipe or swap the short ribs for beef sirloin, beef brisket, or even chicken
- Make-ahead & freezer friendly: so convenient! Just like this Indian-inspired butternut squash bisque.
Ingredients In This Pho Bo Recipe
- Beef Short Ribs: The beef bones add robust flavor to the broth and the meat becomes tender as it cooks.
- Fish sauce: The kind you would use to make Thai recipes. We like Red Boat or Three Crab brand.
- Light brown sugar: Traditional recipes use rock sugar but we are substituting easy-to-find brown sugar instead.
- Ginger and garlic: The ultimate aromatic additions to this rich broth.
- Scallions: aka, green onions or use spring onions.
- White wine: Not an authentic ingredient, but the white wine adds body and complexity to the broth to make up for the shorter cooking time.
- Cilantro: Some to flavor the broth and more for garnish.
- Orange peel: Again not an authentic addition to Pho, but is a subtle hint of citrus that boosts the other spices.
- Star anise: This is where that signature pho aroma comes from. You can also use cardamom pods or coriander seeds which are also pretty common (or all three).
- Black peppercorns: Adds a hint of sharp pepperiness. If you’d rather use fennel seeds that is also a common addition (or use both).
- Whole cloves: Gives hints of warm spice, you can also use a cinnamon stick instead (or both).
- Rice noodles: Even though they are not traditional, I actually LOVE these brown rice noodles. They are super chewy and have a lovely toasted flavor.
- Thai basil, mung bean sprouts, jalapeños, limes, hoisin sauce: For garnish. The Thai basil and mung bean sprouts might be hard to find in a regular grocery store. You can either head to an Asian supermarket to find them, or leave them out.
This Vietnamese noodle soup cooks in a large Dutch oven or large pot on the stove for 2 hours. If you’re looking for a Dutch oven and need a recommendation, I have this one, and this one and both are fantastic.
If you want to cook this beef pho in a slow cooker, see detailed recipe note below.
Besides smashing some ginger and garlic and measuring a few ingredients, the only hands-on “work” is slicing the beef.
Remove the cooked short ribs, take out the bone, and thinly slice them with a sharp knife (it’s easy because they’re so tender!), then divide the beef between the bowls of pho and ladle the hot beef stock on top.
Tell Me More About The Short Ribs
If you’ve ever ordered Pho Bo at Vietnamese restaurants, you’ll know that the beef in the soup is very thinly sliced beef sirloin that is added at the end. The raw beef slices cook in the hot broth.
To cut down on ingredients and cook time, we are using meaty beef short ribs instead. The bones of the short ribs create a savory, nourishing broth and the meat is cooked until it is tender enough to slice but not falling off the bone.
Be careful not to cook the meat too long in the simmering broth, otherwise it will shred and fall apart when you try to slice it. Cook it until a sharp knife easily goes through it, then turn off the heat and let the meat cool in the broth at least 1 hour (ideally overnight). Remove the short ribs from the broth and cut into thin slices.
Divide the meat between large bowls and ladle the clear broth over the top. Add the cooked rice noodles to the individual serving bowls and serve with the garnishes at the table so everyone can make their bowl just as they like it.
Make-Ahead/Freezing Instructions
Store the broth and the sliced short ribs separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The noodles don’t really hold well in the fridge, I like to cook noodles just before I serve the soup.
You can also freeze the broth and the beef for up to 3 months. Allow them to cool completely before freezing in separate freezer-safe containers.
Reheat the broth gently on the stovetop or in the microwave. You can add the sliced beef to the broth to warm it through. Fresh garnishes and cooked rice noodles should be added just before serving.
More easily freezable, make-ahead recipes include, homemade Italian meatballs, red wine braised beef, vegan bolognese sauce, braised chicken and sausage, and German goulash soup.
I can’t wait for you to try great recipe. It’s not 100% an authentic recipe but a solid pho-style soup that is perfect for everything from a cozy weeknight to an at-home date night. I just know you’re going to love it as much as we do!
Easy Faux Short Rib Pho {Vietnamese Pho Bo Recipe}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 cups water
- 1 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 4 inch piece peeled fresh ginger, smashed
- 3 scallions
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 1 bunch cilantro, plus more for garnish
- 2 2-inch long pieces orange peel
- 10 black peppercorns
- 10 whole cloves
- 6 star anise pods
- 2 1/2 pounds bone-in beef short ribs
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
To Serve:
- 1 pound dried pho rice noodles
- 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
- Thai basil leaves
- Mung bean sprouts
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Bring the 12 cups water, 1 cup white wine, 1/3 cup fish sauce, 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 3-inch piece ginger, 3 scallions, 3 garlic cloves, 1 bunch cilantro, 2 pieces orange peel, 10 black peppercorns, 10 cloves, 6 star anise, and the 2 1/2 pounds short ribs to a boil in a large soup pot.
- Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook until a sharp knife is easily inserted, but not falling apart (you will need to slice it later), about 2-3 hours. Let meat stand in cooking liquid 1 hour, or overnight.
- Transfer meat to a cutting board with tongs and discard bones, membranes, and fat then cut meat across the grain into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Pour beef broth through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl and discard solids. Wash out the pot then return the broth and reheat soup over low heat. Stir in the tablespoon of salt, taste and see if it needs more salt.
- Meanwhile, bring a large stockpot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add rice noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and divide noodles between 6 large bowls. Divide meat between the bowls. Ladle soup over noodles and serve with jalapeño, Thai basil leaves, cilantro, lime wedges, and mung bean sprouts for garnish.
Notes
- Slicing the beef: This is easier if the beef is cold. Let the beef cool in the broth to room temperature. Then cover and transfer to the refrigerator overnight. The next day, remove the short ribs from the broth. Remove the bones, membrane, and fat then slice.
- Slow cooker instructions: Combine all the ingredients in the slow cooker instead of the Dutch oven. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours or until the short ribs are tender, but not falling apart. Continue with the recipe as written.
- Cooking rice noodles: Rice noodles can easily stick together. Stir them frequently during cooking and test regularly to see if they are ready. They only take between 4-8 minutes to cook depending on the type. Drain them then spread out on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little sesame oil and toss to prevent them from sticking together.
- Make ahead/Freezing: Make the broth and meat up to 5 days in advance and keep separate in the refrigerator. Cook the rice noodles right before serving. To freeze: Transfer the broth to a freezer-safe container and the meat to a separate container. Freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stove or in the microwave.
