Beef pho

Name: Beef pho
Prep time: 11 min
Cook time: 19 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1 L Beef Stock; 1 large Onion; 1 Large Chopped Ginger; 1 Cinnamon Stick; 2 Star Anise; 1 tsp Coriander Seeds; 1/2 teaspoon Cloves; 225g Sirloin steak; 1 tsp Palm Sugar; 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce; 1 ½ tbsp Soy Sauce; 200g Rice Noodles; 2 sliced Spring Onions; 1 small Birds-eye Chillies; Handful Basil; Handful Coriander; 1 Lime

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Beef recipe with Vietnamese flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 47 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings · 30 min total

1 L Beef Stock
1 large Onion
1 Large Chopped Ginger
1 Cinnamon Stick
2 Star Anise
1 tsp Coriander Seeds
1/2 teaspoon Cloves
225g Sirloin Steak
1 tsp Palm Sugar
1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
1 ½ tbsp Soy Sauce
200g Rice Noodles
2 sliced Spring Onions
1 small Birds-eye Chillies
Handful Basil
Handful Coriander
1 Lime

Step-by-step instructions

Tip the beef stock along with 500ml of water into a large saucepan. Sit the onion and ginger in a frying pan over a high heat and char on all sides, around 3-5 mins (you can also do this under your grill). Once charred, add to the beef stock. In the same pan, toast the spices for 2-3 mins and once they begin to smell fragrant, add them to the beef stock as well. Bring the stock to the boil, then turn to a simmer and cook for 30mins before straining.
Meanwhile, cut the fat from the steak and wrap in cling film, then put into the freezer for 15 mins – this will make your steak really easy to slice! Slice it thinly, then cover with cling film again and pop into the fridge.
Taste the beef stock and use the palm sugar, fish sauce and soy to season. Cook the noodles according to package instructions and split between two bowls, topping each with the sliced beef. Bring the stock to the boil and then pour into the bowls (the heat will cook the beef). Top each with the spring onions, chilli slices and herbs. Serve with the lime wedges to squeeze over.

Why this works on a weeknight

Beef pho genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Noodle Bowls collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Beef pho actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍜 Noodle Bowls Beef Vietnamese ⚡ 30-Min Dinner