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Traditional Oxtail Pho

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PREP TIME
20 min
COOKING TIME
365 min
TOTAL TIME
385 min
SERVINGS
8 servings
Dinner Vietnamese
Traditional Oxtail Pho
Ingredients
  • water to cover
  • 1 1/2 pounds beef oxtail, or to taste
  • 2 Spanish onions, peeled, divided
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce, or to taste
  • 1 tablespoon whole star anise pods
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • salt to taste
  • 3 tablespoons beef pho flavor paste
  • 2 bunches scallions, chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1 (16 ounce) package dried rice noodles, or to taste
  • 1 (12 ounce) package beef pho meatballs, halved, or to taste
  • 1/2 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced, or to taste
  • 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
  • 4 teaspoons white sugar, or to taste
  • 1 (8 ounce) package bean sprouts
  • 1 bunch Thai basil leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
  • 1 (2.8 ounce) can crispy fried shallots, or to taste
Instructions
1
Boil water and oxtail in a large pot until it reaches a rolling boil. Remove excess foam and oil that forms on the surface by skimming them off with a spoon. Add 1 medium-sized onion, fish sauce, star anise, cinnamon sticks, and salt. Stir in the pre-made pho flavor paste; cover the pot loosely with a lid to allow steam to escape. Lower the heat and let the broth simmer for at least 6 hours, allowing all the flavors to meld together.
2
Slice the remaining onion into thin pieces and place them in a bowl with chopped scallions and cilantro.
3
Place the noodles in 8 large bowls and rinse them thoroughly under cold running water. Cover the noodles with warm water and let them soak for 1 hour, allowing them to rehydrate.
4
Add the meatballs to the soup 20 minutes before it's finished cooking.
5
Bring a small saucepan of water to a boil and drain the noodles. Dip the noodles into the boiling water for 30 seconds, just to give them a quick rehydrate. Transfer the noodles into the 8 large bowls.
6
Add sliced sirloin on top of each bowl. Ladle in the hot broth, meatballs, and oxtail. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Squeeze 1 or 2 lime wedges into each bowl to add a burst of citrus flavor. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon sugar to balance out the flavors. Top each bowl with the cilantro-onion mixture, bean sprouts, basil leaves, and thinly sliced shallots.