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Vietnamese · Hanoi

Pho

Pho (pronounced fuh) is Vietnam's national dish — a clear, deeply aromatic beef broth served over rice noodles with thinly sliced raw beef (which cooks in the hot broth at the table), topped with bean sprouts, herbs, lime, and chilli. The broth requires 6-8 hours of simmering and is the entire foundation of the dish. Pho bò (beef pho) is the canonical form; pho gà (chicken) is the alternate. The broth must be clear, not cloudy — clarity is a sign of patient, attentive cooking.

‹Swipe for the next dish›
Serves4
Total480 min
Sourced4of 18 in BC
Cook
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I

The Market List

The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.

1500ml
chicken or beef stock
Your own market
150g
onion
halved
Your own market
60g
ginger
sliced 6mm
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
6
star anise pods
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1
cinnamon stick
5cm
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
5
cloves
Your own market
2
bay leaves
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
15g
coriander seeds
Your own market
10g
Tellicherry black pepper
Your own market
30ml
fish sauce
first distillation
Your own market
20g
rock sugar
Origin · ChinaWismettac · Vancouver →
350g
beef brisket
raw
Your own market
200g
rice noodles
dried, 2mm
Origin · ThailandWismettac · Vancouver →
2
Thai bird chilies
sliced
Your own market
For Service
150g
beef sirloin
thinly sliced
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 bunch
Thai basil
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
1 bunch
cilantro
Your own market
3
lime wedges
Not yet stocked in British Columbia

Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.

II

The Method

1
Toast star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds, and black pepper in dry wok 3 minutes until fragrant; transfer to spice bag.
2
Char onion and ginger directly over flame until blackened; add to stock with spice bag and bay leaves.
3
Add raw brisket to stock; bring to boil, then simmer 420 minutes until tender.
4
Remove brisket, cool, and slice 6mm thick; strain broth, skim fat, and whisk in fish sauce and rock sugar.
5
Submerge rice noodles in boiling water until tender (approximately 8 minutes); drain.
6
Divide cooked and raw sirloin, noodles, and fresh herbs among four bowls.
7
Ladle 350ml piping hot broth into each bowl; squeeze lime and scatter chilies over surface.
IV

Sensory Tests

◇Where it lives or dies. The moment where pho lives or dies is the first 30 minutes — this is when the broth is most vulnerable to cloudiness. Bring the bones to a boil rapidly, then immediately reduce to a bare simmer where single bubbles rise at the surface. Vigorous boiling agitates the proteins and creates a permanently cloudy broth. At a bare simmer, the proteins rise gently as foam and can be skimmed. Once the foam stops appearing (after 45 minutes), the broth can be simmered at a slightly higher temperature.
V

Cross-Cuisine Parallels

French pot-au-feu (the ancestral broth technique
slow-simmered beef bones with aromatic vegetables)
Japanese ramen (clear broth over noodles
the Japanese noodle-in-broth parallel)
Cantonese beef brisket noodle soup (clear beef broth with noodles
the Chinese cousin).
VI

What to Pour

The pairing
Bushmills Malt 10 Year Old
Old Bushmills Distillery · County Antrim — Bushmills Distillery
Bridge — the dish's smoke meets a smoky register in the pour; smoke speaking to smoke.
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Fort Berens Riesling
Fort Berens Estate Winery · Lillooet
Bridge — the dish's sweetness answers 'honey' without either tipping over.
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol

No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.

The whole pairing
VII

Origin & Lineage

Northern Vietnam, specifically Hanoi. Pho is documented from the early 20th century, developing from French colonial influence (pot-au-feu broth technique) and Chinese noodle traditions, adapted with Vietnamese aromatic spices. The Hanoi pho (cleaner, less herb-laden) and the Ho Chi Minh City pho (more garnishes, sweeter) represent the two major regional traditions.

Sourced through Provenance

The hands behind the plate.

Purely Artisan Foods
San Diego · ginger, Thai basil
→
Wismettac
Vancouver · rock sugar, rice noodles
→
← PreviousNuoc Cham (Vietnamese — Fish Sauce, Lime, Chilli — Ratio)One standard · no exceptions