Instant Pot: Vietnamese Beef Pho

The moment I start to think this winter wasn’t too bad, it snows! Thankfully it wasn’t a heavy snow storm, but it was perfect weather to warm up with a bowl of soup. With my Instant Pot, the obvious choice was to make a big pot of Vietnamese Pho. For me, the key to a solid bowl of pho is all in the broth. It’s a combination of spices, savory beef and a nice balance of sweet and salty…

It took me awhile to attempt making pho from scratch, simply due to the handful of spices I don’t usually use, the long cook time of the beef with bones, and just not wanting to dedicate the time in general to the overall cooking process. But with the Instant Pot, I am thrilled to make my soup in a fraction of the time. Making the broth is done in two parts. The first part involves cooking the beef to extract all the richness and flavor. The second part involves adding the spices to impart the complexity of the broth. Once the broth is made, everything else is easy! The meatballs and noodles can be prepared while the broth is cooking and any of your desired toppings or stir ins can be prepared in advance, My family loves building our pho soup bowls together where we have all the toppings out and each person can top as they please.

You’ll notice I included a recipe for homemade beef meatballs, but feel free to use prepared meatballs or your choice of meat, such as chicken breast, pork or even shrimp.

Also, I had my rice noodles prepared in advance- either fresh rice noodles or dried rice noodles prepared per package directions – so I could add them when ready to serve. The noodles will warm up with the hot broth poured on top.

You can also prepare the toppings in advance or while the broth is developing, to save time.

Broth:
2 pounds beef shank
1 pound beef oxtail
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 ounce whole star anise pods
1/2 cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 slice fresh ginger root
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon fish sauce

Meatballs:
2 pounds ground beef

1-2 pounds fresh rice noodles, or prepared dried rice noodles

Suggested add ins or toppings:
chopped fresh cilantro
fresh mint leaves
fresh basil leaves
bean sprouts (mung beans)
limes, quartered
thinly sliced green onion
crushed pork cracklings
sriracha hot pepper sauce
hoisin sauce

Prepare the meatballs: Combine all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix it well. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. 

Remove meatballs from freezer and place 1/4 of the meatball mixture in a food processor. Process to a completely smooth but firm paste. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides of the work bowl.  Transfer the beef paste to another bowl. Repeat and process the remaining beef 1/4 of the mixture at a time to avoid overloading your food processor work bowl.   

Cover the processed beef mixture and chill in the freezer for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, press SAUTE on the IP and bring a broth to a boil.

Remove the processed beef mixture and using wet hands, form into meatballs slightly smaller than the size of a golfball. The mixture will be sticky so be sure your hands are wet when forming the meatballs. 

Place the meatballs into the boiling broth and allow them to float and cook for about 7-10 minutes.