Getting to the Heart of Vietnamese Pho

Pho, one of our most beloved Vietnamese dishes, has made it to Business Insider magazine’s list of top 40 dishes around the world that we should try at least once in our lifetime. Pho appears everywhere – from street vendors to pavement cafeterias, casual eateries and luxury restaurants – and each outlet has its own unique recipe.

Here are the basic ingredients that go into each mouth-watering bowl of pho, and how you can make it tastier and easier to prepare with our ingredients.

What’s in each bowl

The main ingredients are beef, rice noodles and spices such as onion, ginger, cardamom, aniseed, coriander, green onion, and black pepper. If pho bac (Northern pho) is characterised by its salty taste, pho nam (Southern pho) is sweet and has more vegetables. The broth is the soul of pho because of its rich and robust taste, which is derived from beef bones.

Traditionally, you’d have to soak and cover the bones with lemon, salt and ginger, then boil them on a large fire for 10-15 minutes to clean the bones thoroughly inside and out. After this, soak them in ginger wine for about 20 minutes, then boil the bones on large fire for 1 hour before lowering to simmer for another 5 hours to keep the broth full-flavoured and clear. Remember to skim the top to remove excess oil.

Although this is the usual method for preparing pho, it is extremely elaborate and time-consuming. On top of all that you need to ensure that you have all the right ingredients before you start. How can you ensure ingredient availability and save prep time while maintaining flavour?

Preparing pho the Knorr way

Made with carefully selected quality meat, extracts, fat and flavours, Knorr Beef Broth Base comes in an easy-to-use paste format and makes it so much easier to reduce prep time without compromising flavour. Also, it gives your pho full-body flavour and aroma, all while cutting down on waste and expenses. Try making your next bowl of pho with this ingredient instead and see how much easier it is!