Quick Pho Tai Nam
A streamlined beef pho with tender rare steak sliced thin and silky rice noodles in a fragrant broth. Ready in 25 minutes using store-bought broth and pre-sliced beef.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 28g
Ingredients
- 6 cups beef broth
- ½ lb beef sirloin or ribeye, thinly sliced
- 6 oz rice noodles (banh pho)
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and sliced into thin matchsticks
- 1 whole fresh lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
- 1
Fill a large pot with 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat, about 8 minutes, so the noodles cook separately while you prepare the broth.
- 2
Peel the ginger with a spoon or knife, then lay it flat on the cutting board and slice it lengthwise into thin matchsticks about the thickness of wooden toothpicks.
- 3
Cut the lime in half, then cut each half into 3 wedges so you have 6 pieces to serve with the pho.
- 4
Pat the sliced beef dry with paper towels so it cooks cleanly and doesn't steam when added to the hot broth.
- 5
Pour the 6 cups of beef broth into a second large pot and bring it to a boil over high heat, about 5 minutes, watching for visible bubbles breaking at the surface.
- 6
Once the water pot is boiling, add the rice noodles, stir once with a spoon, and cook uncovered for 4–5 minutes until they are tender and bend without snapping.
- 7
Stir 2 tablespoons of fish sauce into the hot broth, then taste the broth and add salt or a few drops more fish sauce if needed.
- 8
Drain the noodles in a colander and divide them between two deep bowls, placing them in the bottom of each bowl.
- 9
Remove the broth from heat, then gently slip the sliced beef into the hot broth and stir for 15 seconds—the residual heat will turn it from raw pink to cooked gray.
- 10
Ladle the beef and 3 cups of hot broth over the noodles in each bowl, dividing the beef evenly.
- 11
Scatter the ginger matchsticks over the surface of each bowl, then place a lime wedge on the rim for squeezing.
Tools you’ll need
- large pot
- second large pot
- spoon for stirring
- knife and cutting board
- colander
- ladle
- paper towels
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