Vegan Pho Broth / Soup Recipe - Choosing Chia (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret ingredient in pho broth? ›

Sa sung—dried peanut worms—have been described as the secret ingredient of great pho.

Pho is very nutritious. From its ingredients, it's been shown to reduce inflammation and improve joint health. If you suffer from something like chronic pain or arthritis, you may want to entertain the idea of enjoying more pho. The broth particularly can be very anti-inflammation.

The collagen and amino acids found in beef bone broth support gut health, joint function, and skin elasticity, making it a nourishing addition to your diet. In Vietnamese pho, the beef bone broth is simmered for hours with aromatic spices, creating a depth of flavor that is unparalleled.

Broth - the soul of Pho. Beef bones play a crucial role in influencing the quality of the broth. Combined with spices such as ginger, charred onions, star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and coriander seeds, the broth gains a distinct aroma.

Spices: There are 5 important spices in pho broth — star anise, whole cloves, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, and coriander seeds. I really recommend using the whole (not ground) spices if possible, which we will briefly toast to bring out extra flavor.

Vietnamese pho is all about the broth! In this authentic recipe, beef bones, fish sauce, star anise, and ginger simmer for at least 6 hours, creating a complex, aromatic broth that may not be quick, but it's certainly delicious.

One downside of pho is that it can be high in fat. "When you eat fatty meats like oxtail or fatty brisket ... too much of the fattiness contains saturated fat which can clog your arteries and increase your risk for stroke and heart disease," Gregier notes.

In addition to tasting incredible, pho is also the perfect meal for these cold weather months, thanks to its immune-boosting and warming properties that can work to heal leaky gut and digestive disorders.

Containing glucosamine, chondroitin, and collagen, we know bone broth promotes healthy joints. When we use ginger in pho, which is a very common practice, it has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects with the potential to help reduce discomfort, pain, and inflammation in the body.

Experts also suggest that if pho is used for breakfast, then you should avoid salt for the rest of the day. To avoid imbalanced nutrition, you should not eat pho too often, and you should switch up diet with other food products. Any food, no matter how good it is, won't be good for your body if consumed too much.

What is the healthiest pho soup? ›

Chicken pho generally has the least fat and is a good source of lean protein. If you're just here for the beef, round cuts are the leanest, followed by brisket and flank.

Vegan Pho, a super comforting Vietnamese food, nutritious and full of protein. Perfect for a cozy day, this dish is tasty, healthy and delicious!

Mai Pham and Andrea Nguyen both recommend at least three hours to simmer the broth, but there are other recipes that state that the beef bones must be boiled gently for six to eight hours. For restaurant-quality pho, the time required to simmer the broth can take up to 12 hours or more.

Pho is a traditional Vietnamese street food and has the same magic ingredient as chicken soup — bone broth — but incorporates more herbs and spices to naturally boost your immune system, and speed up your body's recovery time. It's the perfect comfort food — warm, hearty, and healing.

One very important note for restaurant pho is that the tendons are never cooked/simmer together in the pho broth. Tendons are always cooked separately in restaurant environment. If we cook tendons together in the broth, then the collagen will come out as gelatin, making the broth murky and turning it into aspic.

For the most flavorful and clear broth, your pot needs to be in a constant simmer. Take your time in the first 15 minutes or so to make adjustments to your temperature. This ensures that you have true simmering in the next 3-5 hours; no rolling boiling water, no dead still water either.

Star anise, cloves, and cinnamon are the aromatic trinity in traditional pho stock. Try adding a few whole spices to the store-bought stuff, along with fresh ginger and a glug of fish sauce.

Soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, or chili paste can quickly and efficiently flavor store-bought broth — a little bit goes along way with these ingredients.

Although these spices are unique to the Pho flavor adding them too early will make the broth too potent and bitter. This combination varies from recipe to recipe but for mine I use a combination of cinnamon sticks, star anise, peppercorns, cardamon, coriander seeds, and cloves.