Homemade Instant Pot Pho
3-3 ½ lbs beef bones
2 slices ginger (or 3 Tbl)
3 large shallots
6 star anise pods
1 small cinnamon stick
2 Tbl fish sauce
1 tsp salt
1 Tbl yellow rock sugar (look for organic turbinado or palm sugar at Marlene’s)
beef balls (optional)
fresh rice noodles
Garnish with: chopped green onions, chopped cilantro, ground white pepper and/or pre-sliced meat of choice.
Char ginger, shallots, star anise and cinnamon stick. Set aside.
Blanch 3-3 ½ pounds of beef bones (or you can use a combination of oxtail and bones for a beefier flavor) in boiling water for about 15 minutes. Dump the pot out into the sink and clean bones under cold running water. Put bones into your Instant Pot and fill with water until bones are 2-3 inches covered. Do not go past the full-line.
Throw in charred ingredients. (Some people use cardamom and other spices – feel free to add these.) Add fish sauce, salt and sugar. Avoid using white sugar if you can since it is processed and might flatten the broth. If beef balls are desired, add them now.
Close lid and steam spout of Instant Pot, then turn on Broth Mode for 2 hours. Once done, let the broth cool to room temperature, then set in the fridge. This will help solidify fat on top. After soup has chilled, use a spoon to take off fat.
Reheat, season with salt, fish sauce and sugar to your liking. Keep in mind that the broth needs to be a little saltier to preference because, once the broth is poured on top of noodles, the water from noodles will dilute it a little bit. Before serving, make sure broth is boiling hot.
Tips:
• Use a noodle strainer: noodles go in and out quickly!
• Cook fresh noodles in boiling hot water for about 5 seconds. Let drain for 15 seconds so your broth doesn’t become too bland.
• Instead of cooking a large slab of meat, you can get thin, pre-cut slices of beef that make life easier.
• In some parts of Southeast Asia, they add fried garlic for a more savory flavor in the broth.
How to put together your bowl of pho:
1. In the bottom of the bowl, grind about ½ tsp of fresh white pepper.
2. Add desired amount of cooked noodles.
3. Lay thin slices of raw beef on top of noodles.
4. Add garnishes to preference.
5. Add boiling hot broth on top (this will cook the beef).
Julia Bang, native to Tacoma, began EAsT Kitchen in 2019. As a daughter of Cambodian-Chinese immigrants who escaped the Khmer Rouge genocide, food tells a story of her childhood roots. She teaches private/public workshops and classes that emphasize Southeast Asian cuisine (Thai, Cambodian, and Vietnamese), Chinese and Korean. “I’m a total foodie. From one foodie to another, happy eating!” For more information, visit www.eastkitchenwa.com .
