What Is Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Pho)?

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese soup featuring a fragrant beef broth, rice noodles, and a variety of toppings like thinly sliced beef, beef balls, fresh herbs, and bean sprouts. The broth is typically simmered for hours to develop its deep flavor, but this Instant Pot version gives you the same richness with less effort and time.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Time-saving magic: Thanks to the Instant Pot, you’ll get a flavorful broth in just over an hour instead of the traditional all-day simmer.
• Rich and aromatic: The combination of beef bones, ginger, onion, and pho spices creates a broth that’s deeply flavorful and full of comforting warmth.
• Customizable toppings: From tender beef slices to fresh herbs, you can tailor the garnishes to suit your taste.
• Perfectly balanced: The broth hits all the right notes—savory, slightly sweet, and deeply satisfying.
• Restaurant-quality at home: Skip the takeout and enjoy authentic pho in your own kitchen.

Ingredients

For the soup:

• Beef knuckle bones, oxtail, or marrow bones: These create the rich, flavorful base for the broth.
• Beef brisket, shank, chunk, or roast: Adds tender meat to the soup and enhances the broth’s flavor.
• Water: The main liquid for the soup, adjusted to the Instant Pot’s max line.
• White onion: Provides a sweet and savory undertone to the broth.
• Ginger: Adds warmth and depth to the soup’s flavor.
• Pho spice sachet: A pre-made blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, and other spices for authentic pho flavor. Link included here for the exact one I used!
• Sugar: Balances the savory elements of the broth with a touch of sweetness.
• Fish sauce: Adds umami and depth to the broth.
• Salt: Enhances all the flavors in the soup.

Noodles, garnishes, and sauces:

• Vermicelli noodles: The essential base for the soup, offering a chewy texture.
• Thinly sliced beef brisket or ribeye: Cooks quickly in the hot broth, adding tender, flavorful protein.
• Beef balls: A classic pho topping with a chewy, meaty bite.
• Bean sprouts: Adds a fresh, crunchy texture to the soup.
• Green onions and cilantro: Fresh herbs that elevate the aroma and flavor.
• Limes: Provides a zesty tang that brightens the broth.
• Sriracha and hoisin sauce: For customizable spice and sweetness in every bowl.

How to Make Beef Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Parboil the bones:

Boil the beef bones for 5 minutes to remove impurities, then discard the water and set the bones aside.

Prepare the broth:

In a 6-quart Instant Pot, sauté the onion and ginger until browned for added depth of flavor. Add the bones, beef, water, pho spices, sugar, fish sauce, and salt. Pressure cook on high for 1 hour 30 minutes with the sealing knob in the sealing position, followed by a 15-minute natural release.

Strain the broth:

Remove and discard the bones and pho spices. If desired, shred the meat to include in the soup.

Cook the noodles and prepare garnishes:

While the broth cooks, cook the vermicelli noodles according to the package instructions. Prepare toppings like thinly sliced beef, bean sprouts, green onions, cilantro, and lime wedges.

Assemble and serve:

Place cooked noodles in a bowl, add thinly sliced beef, beef balls, and your favorite garnishes. Pour the hot broth over everything and serve immediately with Sriracha and hoisin sauce on the side.

Storage

Pho is best enjoyed fresh, but leftover broth can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or frozen for longer storage.

Tips

• Parboil for clear broth: Removing impurities from the bones ensures a clean and clear broth.
• Sear the aromatics: Browning the onion and ginger before cooking brings out their sweetness and enhances the broth’s depth.
• Serve the broth hot: Pouring steaming broth over the noodles and toppings cooks the beef and keeps everything warm and flavorful.

Easy Beef Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Print

Serves: 2-3 Prep Time: 15 Mins Cooking Time: 1 Hour 45 Mins 1 Hour 45 Mins

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 2 voted )

Ingredients

Equipment:

• 6-quart Instant Pot

Soup

• 2.5-3 pounds of beef knuckle bones, oxtail, or beef marrow bones
• 1 pound beef brisket, shank, chunk, or roast
• 8 cups water (or up to the pressure cooker max line)
• 1 large white onion, cut into half
• 1 large chunk of ginger (about 2 oz.), skin removed
• 1 sachet of pre-made pho spices
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 3 Tbsp fish sauce
• 1-1.5 tsp salt to taste

Noodles and Garnishes

• Vermicelli noodles
• Thinly sliced beef brisket or rib eye
• Beef balls
• Bean sprouts
• Green onions
• Cilantro
• Limes

Sauces:

• Sriracha sauce
• Hoisin sauce

Instructions

1. Parboil all beef bones (no need to parboil meat) for 5 mins to remove impurities which will help achieve clearer broth. Transfer bones to a plate and discard water.
2. In a 6-quart instant pot, saute onion and ginger for a few mins until browned. Add bones, meat, water, spices, sugar, fish sauce. Pressure cook all bones and beef for 1 hour 30 mins (knob in sealing position) + 15 min natural release. Discard bones and beef (can keep meat if you’d like for the soup).
3. While soup is cooking, cook vermicelli noodles and prepare garnishes such as cilantro, green onions, limes, and bean sprouts. When the soup is ready, add noodles, thinly sliced beef, beef balls, and desired garnishes to a bowl and pour hot soup.
4. Add desired sauces and enjoy immediately while soup is hot.

The post Easy Beef Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) – Made in the Instant Pot! first appeared on Herman at Home.

What is Hawaiian Loco Moco

Loco Moco is a classic comfort food dish originating from Hawaii. It typically consists of four main components: white rice, a hamburger patty, a fried egg, and brown gravy. The dish is known for its hearty and fulfilling nature, making it a popular choice for a satisfying meal at any time of the day, but especially for breakfast or lunch.

Why you’ll love this recipe

This recipe is a fusion of flavors and textures that is so unique. You get the rich, hearty flavors from the Loco Moco and the crispiness from the rice paper. This recipe is great for any occasion but make sure you eat it as fresh as possible!

Ingredients

Loco Moco

• Ground beef – This will be used to form the beef patties. I used a leaner blend of 90/10 but feel free to use your desired blend.
• Worcestershire sauce – Adds a tangy flavor that pairs perfectly with beef
• Soy sauce – Adds umami and depth to the beef patties.
• Garlic powder – Adds aroma to the beef patties.
• Salt – Add your desired amount to taste
• Black pepper – A few cracks of fresh ground black pepper is all that is needed
• Rice paper – The key ingredient to get that signature crispy exterior
• Eggs – Typically served sunny side up in a loco moco plate but fried egg works well here so the egg yolk doesn’t pop while wrapping it in the rice paper
• White rice – Another key component of loco moco and used to soak up all that delicious gravy
• Neutral oil of your choice – Any oil can be used when pan frying the little bites. Make sure to use a good amount so the rice paper can get nice and crispy!

Gravy

• Beef stock – Key component of the gravy to get that rich, meaty flavor
• Soy sauce – Adds umami to the gravy
• Worcestershire sauce – Adds a tangy flavor that enhances the gravy
• Ketchup – A little bit of ketchup to give the gravy a bit of sweetness
• Cornstarch – Thickens the broth and turns this into brown gravy

How to Make Hawaiian Loco Moco in Crispy Rice Paper

1. Combine beef, worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper together and form 4 rectangle shapes (size of a slice of spam). In a pan, fry on each side until cooked through.
2. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine beef stock, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch and cook until thickened sauce, about 2-3 mins. Set aside.
3. In a small pan, cook egg sunny side up or fried over easy.
4. To assemble, dip rice paper in warm water to re-hydrate. Place 1 beef patty, 1-2 Tbsp rice, 1-2 Tbsp sauce, and 1 egg. Wrap the sides, then fold from the bottom to the top until you get a pillow shape. Double wrap each bite with a second piece of hydrated rice paper.
5. In a pan, add 2 Tbsp of oil and pan fry each crispy rice paper bite for 5 mins until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and serve while fresh. Serve with remaining gravy as a dipping sauce.

Storage

Enjoy fresh so you get that crispy rice paper exterior!

Hawaiian Loco Moco in Crispy Rice Paper

Print

Serves: 2-3 Prep Time: 40 Mins Cooking Time: 15 Mins 15 Mins

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

Loco Moco

1/2 - 2/3 lb ground beef

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1/2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp garlic powder

salt to taste

freshly ground black pepper

8 rice papers

4 eggs

3/4 cup of white rice, cooked

Neutral oil of your choice

Gravy

1.5 cups beef stock

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp ketchup

5 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. Combine beef, worcestershire sauce, salt, garlic powder, and black pepper together and form 4 rectangle shapes (size of a slice of spam). In a pan, fry on each side until cooked through.
2. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine beef stock, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and cornstarch and cook until thickened sauce, about 2-3 mins. Set aside.
3. In a small pan, cook egg sunny side up or fried over easy.
4. To assemble, dip rice paper in warm water to rehydrate. Place 1 beef patty, 1-2 Tbsp rice, 1-2 Tbsp sauce, and 1 egg. Wrap the sides, then fold from the bottom to the top until you get a pillow shape. Double wrap each bite with a second piece of hydrated rice paper.
5. In a pan, add 2 Tbsp of oil and pan fry each crispy rice paper bite for 5 mins until golden brown on all sides. Remove from heat and serve while fresh. Serve with remaining gravy as a dipping sauce.

The post Hawaiian Loco Moco in Crispy Rice Paper (Super Crispy with Lots of Sauce!) first appeared on Herman at Home.