Vietnamese Pho with Sous Vide Beef
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Pho is a favorite order in Vietnamese restaurants. It's loved for the rich, beefy broth infused with cinnamon and other delicious Asian flavors. The best part? It's not difficult to make!
NOTE: This recipe adds in tender sous vide beef strips instead of raw beef as would traditionally be served in pho.
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Ingredients for 2
2 (4-ounce/125 g) beef tenderloin steaks
4 cups (946 mL) beef stock
1 cup (237 mL) water
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons (44 mL) fish sauce
1 tablespoon (15 mL) palm sugar or packed dark brown sugar
2 (1/4-inch-thick) slices ginger
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 star anise
2 cups (473 mL) flat rice noodles, boiled and drained
1 cup (237 mL) fresh Thai basil leaves
1/2 cup (118 mL) bean sprouts
2 tablespoons (30 mL) finely sliced scallion
1 lime, cut into wedges
Directions
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Step 1
Set the Anova Sous Vide Precision Cooker to 129.2ºF (54ºC).
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Step 2
Place the steaks in their own medium zipper lock or vacuum seal bag. Seal bags using the water immersion technique or a vacuum sealer on the dry setting. Place bags in the water bath and set the timer for 2 hours.
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Step 3
About 25 minutes before the beef is finished, prepare the broth: Combine stock, water, onion, fish sauce, palm sugar, ginger, cinnamon, garlic, and star anise in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the broth has reduced to 4 cups, about 20 minutes.
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Step 4
Strain broth through a fine-mesh strainer into two serving bowls. Let cool slightly. (Because the beef has been cooked sous vide, you don’t want it to cook too much in the broth like you would do normally when using raw beef in pho.)
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Finishing Steps
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Step 0
When the timer goes off, remove the bags from the water bath. Remove the steaks from the bags and transfer to a cutting board. Slice thin. Discard cooking liquid.
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Step 1
Divide prepared noodles between the bowls of broth. Top with sliced steak, basil, bean sprouts, scallion, and lime wedges. Serve.