Vietnamese Beef Pho
Vietnamese Beef Pho is a fragrant noodle soup built on a slow-simmered broth of beef bones, star anise, cinnamon and charred ginger, topped with thinly sliced beef fillet and fresh herbs. The Thermomix TM7 handles the long, gentle simmering hands-free while precision chopping prepares the aromatics. A restaurant-quality Vietnamese classic made easy in one appliance.
About this recipe
Vietnamese Beef Pho Thermomix TM7 brings the beloved Hanoi street-food classic straight into your kitchen with an all-in-one kitchen machine doing the heavy lifting. Anyone searching for pho recipes knows the challenge: a truly great broth needs hours of gentle simmering with beef bones, star anise, cinnamon and charred ginger, and constant attention to stay clear and never boiled. The TM7 solves exactly that, maintaining a precise low simmer so the spices release their warm aromatics while the beef bones yield their deep, gelatinous richness. Meanwhile the chopping blade turns onion, lemongrass and fresh root ginger into evenly minced aromatics in seconds, and the built-in scale weighs every spice precisely so the clove and peppercorn balance never tips into bitterness. Served over rice noodles with paper-thin beef fillet slices that cook in the hot broth, this impressive soup works beautifully as a weekend main course or a make-ahead meal prep project for the week ahead.
Preparation tips
- Char the halved onion and ginger pieces under a hot grill or in a dry pan before adding them to the mixing bowl; this step deepens the broth's smoky sweetness and is essential for authentic pho flavour.
- Skim the beef broth carefully after the first simmer and strain it through a fine sieve before serving; a clear broth is the hallmark of a proper Vietnamese pho and makes all the difference visually.
- Slice the beef fillet as thinly as possible while it is still slightly firm from the fridge, then let the hot broth do the cooking at the table; serve with Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges and chilli so everyone seasons their own bowl.
Recipe variations
- Chicken pho (pho ga): replace the beef bones with chicken carcasses and the beef fillet with thin chicken breast slices; keep the star anise, ginger and onion base and finish with spring onions and coriander for a lighter version.
- Low-carb variation: swap the rice noodles for spiralised courgette or shirataki noodles and increase the bean sprouts; the spiced bone broth remains identical, making this a lighter weekday option without losing the aromatic depth.
Thermomix TM7 Benefits
- Time savings - The TM7 chops onion, lemongrass and fresh root ginger in seconds, skipping tedious knife work for the pho broth. [Chopping]. [Time Savings]
- Temperature control - Precise low heating keeps the beef bone broth below boiling, preserving clarity and deep spice flavour. [Heating]. [Precision Control]
- Weighing accuracy - Weigh star anise, cloves and mixed peppercorns directly in the mixing bowl for a balanced, never bitter pho spice mix. [Weighing]. [Built-in Scale]
- Grinding power - The TM7 grinds whole cinnamon stick and peppercorns finely, releasing fresher aroma than pre-ground spices. [Grinding]. [Multi-Function]
- Hands-free simmering - Automatic slow cooking frees you for hours while the Thermomix extracts gelatin from the beef bones. [Steaming]. [Hands-Free]
Ingredients
- beef bones
- water
- onion
- fresh root ginger
- fresh lemon grass
- star anise
- cinnamon stick
- mixed peppercorns
- cloves
- coriander seeds