Pho is a great family dinner. We set our big turntable on the table with bowls of add ins and let each person choose what they put in their soup bowl and I ladle the hot broth over each bowl. No complaints since each person picks what they put in theirs!
By using a pressure cooker you can make pho in a short amount of time and infuse with lots of flavor. One of my favorite Asian ingredients is red pepper powder (if you don’t have an Asian market near you I found this similar one on Amazon). It adds a lot of flavor but it isn’t incredibly hot so even my kids can tolerate it.
Since everything is strained you don’t need to worry about knife cuts, just roughly chop and toss in. And the add ins can be adapted to whatever your family likes! You could even make a chicken broth instead of beef using chicken bones. This recipe is adapted from Alton Brown and the original recipe added a pound of chicken wings to the broth ingredients but we were happy with it this way.
Instant Pot Beef Pho
Ingredients
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 6 whole cloves
- 2 pods star anise
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 2 inch chunk ginger, roughly crushed
- 1 onion, cut in thick slices
- 3 pounds mixed beef shanks and oxtails
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 medium apple, quartered
- 10 cups water
- 1 Tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- red pepper powder, to taste
For serving:
- shredded chicken or roast beef, thinly sliced
- thin rice noodles, cooked
- green onions, thinly sliced
- bean sprouts
- Thai basil
- cilantro
- Lime wedges
- red pepper powder or sliced chilis
Instructions
- Turn your pressure cooker on to sauté and add the spices, ginger, and onion.
- When lightly charred add the beef, salt, apple, and water.
- Set to high pressure for 45 minutes. Allow pressure to naturally release for 15 minutes.
- Remove the shank from the pot and set aside. Strain broth.
- Return to pot and add the fish sauce , brown sugar, and red pepper powder to taste.
- Slice or shred the meat from the shank and serve with other serving ingredients.
- Place desired add ins in bowls and ladle very hot broth over the top.
Recipe adapted from Alton Brown
