Phở
The clear beef (or chicken) noodle soup that the rest of the world copies badly.
A bowl of flat rice noodles in a clear broth simmered for hours with charred onion, ginger, and beef bones or chicken. Northern pho (phở bắc) is austere and savoury; southern pho is sweeter and arrives with a plate of herbs and sprouts. It is a breakfast food first — the best pho often sells out by 10am.
How to eat it well
- Order phở bò (beef) or phở gà (chicken). For beef, "tái" is rare, "chín" is well-done brisket.
- Taste the broth before adding anything. In the north, adding hoisin and sriracha is mildly frowned upon — the broth is the point.
- Squeeze the lime, add chilli and herbs to your spoon, not the whole bowl, so you can adjust.
- Eat it where there is a queue of locals and a single item on the sign.
Where it’s best
Hanoi for the original austere style — Phở Gia Truyền on Bát Đàn has the queue for a reason. Saigon for the herb-laden southern version.
Hard for vegetarians: even "vegetable" pho is often built on a beef or chicken base. Look for dedicated chay (vegetarian) restaurants rather than asking a beef stall to improvise.
Make it at home
ProjectA weekend project — the broth is the entire game, and there are no shortcuts to it.
- 1Char a halved onion and a thumb of ginger directly over a flame (or under the grill) until blackened, then rinse.
- 2Blanch ~1.5kg beef bones in boiling water for 5 minutes, drain, and rinse off the scum — this keeps the broth clear.
- 3Simmer the bones with the charred onion and ginger and a toasted spice bundle (star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seed) for 3–4 hours, skimming often.
- 4Season the broth with fish sauce, a little rock sugar, and salt until it tastes deep and rounded.
- 5Soak and cook flat rice noodles per the packet; slice raw beef paper-thin (freeze it 20 minutes first to make slicing easy).
- 6Pile noodles and raw beef in a bowl and ladle the screaming-hot broth over to cook the beef; finish with spring onion and coriander, herbs and lime on the side.
Eat next
Hanoi’s lunch: grilled pork patties and belly in a sweet-sour dipping broth.
Bánh cuốnSteamed rice rollsSilky steamed rice sheets rolled around pork and mushroom — a northern breakfast.
Bún riêuCrab & tomato noodle soupA bright, tangy tomato broth with clouds of freshwater-crab paste and tofu.