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Vietnamese beef stew pho noodle soup is a hearty and comforting dish which can be made in a slow cooker, pressure cooker or on the stovetop.
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5 from 1 vote

Vietnamese Beef Stew Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Bo Sot Vang)

Vietnamese beef stew pho noodle soup (Pho bo sot vang) is a hearty and comforting noodle soup. This noodle soup features tender beef, flavorful broth and amazing aroma from pho spices. You can make it on the stovetop, in a slow cooker or even in a pressure cooker.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time3 hours
Total Time7 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Dish, Noodle and Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Keyword: beef stew pho
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 611kcal
Author: Sophie

Ingredients

  • 2.5 lb beef chuck
  • 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
  • 1/2 cup red wine
  • 1 cinnamon stick (about 0.2 oz or 5g)
  • 4 star anises
  • 5 whole cloves (optional)
  • 1 shallot
  • 1 small piece of ginger (about 1 inch)
  • 6 cups water (or stock for richer flavor)
  • 3 tablespoons fish sauce
  • olive oil
  • rice noodles
  • scallion, finely sliced
  • Cilantro, roughly chopped

Marinade ingredients

Instructions

  • Trim off some excess fat if needed and then cut beef chuck into 1.5'' to 2'' cubes. Marinate for 2-4 hours with all the marinade ingredients if you have time.
  • Dice onion. Remove seeds from tomatoes (optional step) and cut into wedges.
  • In a small skillet over medium-low heat, toast star anise, cloves and cinnamon for just a few minutes until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the cloves. You can skip this step if short on time. Put all spices in a spice bag.
    Spices for making Vietnamese Beef Stew Pho Noodle Soup: star anise, clove and cinnamon
  • Peel shallot and ginger, toast in a small skillet over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant. You can skip this step if short on time.
  • Place a heavy-bottom pot or pan over medium high heat. Add oil, when the pan is nice and hot, add beef cubes in a single layer and sear all sides. Work in small batches if you have a lot of meat to sear. Transfer seared meat to a plate or slow cooker, depending on how you will continue to cook the dish.
  • Lower heat to medium. If there's a lot of drippings in the pot, discard it. Add a little more oil and then add onion. Sauté for 1-2 minutes and then add tomatoes and garlic. Sauté for one more minute to slightly soften the tomatoes and then add red wine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the alcohol has cooked off.
  • Transfer the onion, tomatoes and red wine mixture to the slow cooker with the beef or add the beef back to the pot. Add the spice bag, shallot, ginger and water.
    Vietnamese Beef Stew Pho Noodle Soup (Pho Bo Sot Vang): cooking in a slow cooker or on the stovetop
  • If using a slow cooker, cook on high for about 3 hours or to desired tenderness. If using a pot on the stovetop, simmer to desired tenderness. For pressure cooker (Instant Pot), see instructions in the recipe notes. Add fish sauce and adjust seasoning to your liking with more or less fish sauce and salt. If you find the soup too strong and concentrated, add some more water to dilute it.
  • Prepare rice noodles according to package instructions. Divide noodles into serving bowls and ladle the beef stew soup over the noodles. Top with scallion and cilantro.

Video

Notes

If using a pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for about 30 minutes.
If you use a multi-cooker such as an Instant Pot, you can sear the beef with the Sauté function, and then sauté onions, tomatoes and cook off the wine also in the Instant Pot. Then you can either use the slow cooker function or pressure cooker function to continue cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 611kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 57g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 196mg | Sodium: 2188mg | Potassium: 1310mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 805IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 106mg | Iron: 8mg