Instant Pot® Beef Pho

The secret to pho, the deeply fragrant Vietnamese noodle soup with meat and flavorful toppings, is all in the stock. Nothing makes a better stock than a pressure cooker. Fairly quickly, a pressure cooker brings together all the flavors of meat bones, aromatics, and, in this case, fish sauce and toasted spices, to make a heady broth. With an Instant Pot®, you can boil the bones, saute the aromatics, and finish the dish with 1 pot. To serve, put small bowls containing thinly sliced onion, bean sprouts, limes, and Thai basil on the table. Give your people each a bowl of pho and let them top the soup as they wish.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 53 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 13 mins
• Calories: 367 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 whole cloves
• 9 cups water
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon raw sugar
• 1 (1/2 inch) piece cinnamon stick
• 3 pounds beef soup bones
• 3 whole star anise pods
• 1 (2 inch) piece ginger, peeled
• ½ pound chuck roast
• ½ pound top round beef
• 12 ounces dry rice stick noodles

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Set an electric pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) on "Saute" mode. Add beef bones with water to cover; bring to a boil. Boil vigorously for 3 minutes; drain. Transfer bones to a plate. Dry out the pot and return it to the pressure cooker.

Step 2

Set cooker on "Saute" mode. Add cloves, star anise, and cinnamon stick to the bottom of the pot. Toast, turning once to avoid burning, until aromatic, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.

Step 3

Pour olive oil into the hot pot. Add chopped onion and ginger; cook and stir until softened and starting to brown, about 10 minutes.

Step 4

Place the beef bones, toasted spices, chuck roast, fish sauce, sugar, and salt in the pot. Pour in 9 cups of water, filling the pot 3/4 full. Seal pressure cooker and bring to high pressure according to manufacturer's instructions; cook for 30 minutes. Release pressure through natural-release method for 20 minutes.

Step 5

Remove the chuck roast from the pot. Pour the stock through a sieve into another pot. Discard the bones and spices. Put the pot on the stove, cover, and keep hot over low heat.

Step 6

Place top round into the freezer for 15 minutes. Place rice noodles in a bowl with warm water to cover; soak until pliable, about 15 minutes. Drain the noodles.

Step 7

Remove the top round from the freezer and slice it as thinly as possible, cutting against the grain for best results. Slice the chuck roast.

Step 8

Put a small pile of rice noodles in the middle of a soup bowl. Top with cilantro and green onions. Arrange slices of raw top round and chuck roast around the noodles. Pour in the hot stock, carefully, until the bowl is full. Repeat for additional servings.