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A straightforward and authentic slow cooker Vietnamese pho recipe with rich bone broth simmered 10-12 hours, topped with fresh herbs and traditional garnishes for a comforting, healing bowl of soup.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 pounds beef bones (marrow and knuckle bones with some meat left on)
  • 2 medium onions, halved and charred
  • 4-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced and charred
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 2 cinnamon sticks (preferably Ceylon cinnamon)
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1/4 cup fish sauce (60 ml), good quality
  • 1 tablespoon rock sugar (or regular sugar as substitute)
  • 14 ounces rice noodles (flat, medium-width pho noodles)
  • 1 pound beef sirloin or eye of round, thinly sliced
  • Fresh herbs (basil, cilantro, mint, Thai basil)
  • 1 cup bean sprouts (100 g)
  • Lime wedges
  • Jalapeño or Thai chili slices

Instructions

  1. Heat a heavy skillet or roasting pan over high heat and char halved onions and sliced ginger cut-side down until blackened (about 5 minutes), then flip and char the other side about 3 minutes.
  2. Rinse beef bones under cold water; optionally blanch bones in boiling water for 10 minutes and rinse again for a clearer broth.
  3. Place bones, charred onions, and ginger in the slow cooker; put star anise, cinnamon sticks, and cloves in a spice sachet or cheesecloth, pour in 4 quarts (3.8 L) cold water, and set the cooker to low.
  4. Simmer on low for 10–12 hours, skimming foam or impurities every few hours and keeping the lid slightly ajar to reduce condensation.
  5. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pot or bowl and discard the solids.
  6. Stir in fish sauce and rock sugar until dissolved, then taste and adjust seasoning.
  7. Soak rice noodles in warm water until just pliable but not mushy.
  8. Freeze beef briefly to firm, then thinly slice against the grain; prep fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chili slices.
  9. Divide noodles among bowls, add raw beef slices, ladle piping-hot broth over the beef to cook it in the bowl, and serve with herbs, sprouts, lime, and chilies.

Notes

Char onions and ginger for smoky depth; blanch bones to clarify broth; simmer low and slow for 10-12 hours for rich flavor., Freeze beef slightly before thin slicing to keep it tender., Fish sauce adds essential umami; skim foam as needed., Rice noodles are naturally gluten-free but check fish sauce for gluten., Broth tastes best the next day; store broth and noodles separately; gently reheat broth.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://cookingcrumbs.com/vietnamese-pho-with-bone-broth-recipe-easy-authentic-slow-cooker-soup/