Paleo Phở
Pho? What is it?
According to Wikipedia, “Phở or pho is a Vietnamese noodle soup consisting of broth, rice noodles called bánh phở, a few herbs, and meat, primarily made with either beef or chicken.” We challenged our executive chef to develop Paleo version. She used shredded cabbage in place of the bean sprouts and our rich Grass-fed Beef Bone Broth as the base. Sweet Potato Starch Noodles took the place place of the traditional rice noodle.
All About That Broth
Of course, our Grass-fed Beef or even Chicken Bone broth are perfect to use as a base for homemade Pho. We’ve done the hard part! Pho is a fresh, simple meal to prepare once you have all the ingredients ready. For this reason it is a good idea to keep some bone broth in your freezer for those occasions when nothing else will do.
Preparation is Key with Pho
As with most Asian cooking, Pho is all about the ‘mise en place,’ or the preparation. Having all your vegetables chopped and sliced in advance is what makes this simple. For example, you can prep your vegetables the night before you want to serve Pho, then all you need to do is cook the noodles and add our broth.
Ultimately this is one of those dishes that you can make your own. If you don’t follow an AIP or Paleo Diet, then use fresh bean sprouts instead of shredded cabbage. Add some chili paste to the broth for a spicy beef pho. Play with it, have fun!
PALEO PHỞ RECIPE
BROTH
- 1 qt Beef Bone broth
- 1 3-inch piece Ginger
- 2 tbsp Red Boat Fish sauce
- 1 Cinnamon stick
- 2 Cloves
- 1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half
- 2 Star anise
- 1 tsp Coconut Sugar
- 1 T. olive oil
- 2 cups Water
TOPPINGS
- 6 Basil leaves, whole
- 1 cup sliced green cabbage
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, fresh leaves
- 1 Jalapeno pepper, sliced paper thin
- 1 Lime, cut into wedges
- 6 mint leaves, whole
- 2 Scallions, sliced
NOODLES
- 4 oz sweet potato starch noodles
MEAT
- 1/4 pound sirloin or London broil steak, cut into ⅛ inch slices (putting the steak in the freezer about 15-20 minutes prior to cutting makes it easier to slice) Salt to taste.
DIRECTIONS
- In a medium size pot over high heat, add oil, onion halves (cut side down) cinnamon stick and ginger and toast for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add all other ingredients for the broth and bring to a boil.
- Stir, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes (uncovered).
- Meanwhile, cook the sweet potato starch noodles in a separate pot of boiling water until done. Drain and set aside.
- Discard onion, star anise, cloves, ginger and cinnamon stick from broth.
- Divide cooked noodles evenly among two large bowls.
- Divide and fan out sliced beef over the top of each bowl, and pour broth over the noodles and beef. This will lightly cook the beef.
- Finish by adding toppings of your choice.
- Serve immediately.
