Detox Pho with Beef, Mushrooms, and Kale

I love this pho! I'm wondering if the bitterness some have experienced is coming from the broth they made/used. Leaving vinegar out of homemade will result in bitterness and lots of store-bought is not good or rich enough. I use baby bok choy instead of kale sometimes and vary the garnishes with what I have on hand. I also do not usually add beef to the soup as we think it is beefy and rich enough with the broth.

• MarciY

• Raleigh NC

• 3/4/2022

This was fun to make. (Mind you anything seems fun to me...Stay At Home Order in Effect). I accidentally picked up "Pho Broth" so it already had the cloves, cinnamon and anise stars infused it it. But it was still great regardless.

• StephCooks911

• Los Angeles, California

• 5/1/2020

I really like this broth. It so easy and quick. I made a vegetarian version and my daughter and I almost ate the whole thing.

• Anonymous

• Boston Ma

• 1/2/2018

I was underwhelmed by this recipe. Had almost all of the ingredients on hand so decided to make it. I had all the spices, substituted beet greens for the kale, but otherwise followed the recipe. It was just OK. I much prefer the spicey pork/beet greens or kale found on epicurious.

• motzof4

• Falls Church, VA

• 3/1/2017

Great Pho! I regularly make my own stocks, so amping mine up with Asian flavors was easy. My broth was not bitter in the least. I have made this recipe twice with my own tweaking of ingredients, as I usually do with all recipes I come across. I will be making this again! Yummy!

• anitamarcoff

• Portland, OR

• 7/2/2016

As some mentioned, the broth did become bitter. At first, I really did not like it - my husband only had a few spoonfuls, but as i continued to eat it, the flavor warmed on me and I did end up really enjoying it. I do think the recipe needs to be adjusted: less ginger, more lime, maybe some sugar. Needs some twerking, and it's a lot of work but I enjoyed the experiment.

• alorenstei

• Boston, MA

• 3/23/2016

I love this recipe! I made my own beef broth, and with that the aromatic broth, which I put in the refrigerator for the next day. Breaking up making this recipe over two days made the clean-up less tedious. I used sirloin steak, and all the ingredients listed in the recipe when I prepared it the next day. It was so flavorful and delicious. We didn't note any bitterness at all. I have made this recipe twice already, and am making it again this week. Wonderful for a cold winter evening.

• dsrtgrl

• Santa Fe, NM

• 1/26/2016

Made this today with venison. I have never had Pho so don't have anything to compare but we loved this soup! The broth is so rich and flavorful. I really regret not cleaning my kitchen so that I could share it with him. His girlfriend has Celiac's and it is gluten free but too risky without the prior cleaning. Next time.

• cyndilouwho1

• Fort Walton Beach, FL

• 1/24/2016

I make a lot of Asian food, have traveled in Asian and took a cooking class in Hanoi. This recipe will not be a repeat, and I don't think it can be tweaked enough to bother. There is a bitterness to the broth from too much star anise or clove. There is not enough fish sauce. The mushrooms are lost and the beef is bland. We got through the meal with lots of sesame chili oil. And BTW, if you make your own stock, as I did, this is not a simple recipe. Look for another way to make pho.

• phanieco

• Mammoth Lakes, CA

• 1/21/2016

Delicious. At least as good as what's on offer in the local restaurants. I used beef stock from a farmer's market (they simmer their stocks for at least 14 hours). I used wood ear fungus for some crunch and dried Chinese mushrooms. That and the kale gave it more substance. I also used strip loin that was on sale at the same market - a little fattier but I trimmed it and found it really gave a lot of depth. I added probably a tablespoon of fish sauce, since it's really a signature flavor of Vietnamese cooking and I like to taste it. Next time I might add a wee bit of shrimp paste. One of the worst things you'll ever smell but a tiny bit makes flavours really round and full, and if you didn't know it was shrimp paste doing that you'd just say it was delicious. My only regret was not ever having had pho when I visited Vietnam. The weather was just way too hot and humid for soup (didn't stop the locals, though...)

• allijo

• Calgary, Canada

• 1/10/2016

I agree with a previous reviewer who said the broth had a bit of a bitter undertone. I used a prepared broth and added about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar which made a big difference in the mellowness of the broth and helped to meld the spices. I also didn't use quite as much kale and might prefer to toss some fresh baby spinach in at the last minute next time. I would advise against cooking the noodles in the broth unless you plan to eat it immediately. If you want to use this for leftovers, I would think it would make the soup a little starchy. I like the soupy consistency and will just add more noodles when I reheat.

• christelle

• Albuquerque, NM

• 1/10/2016

Made a double recipe yesterday, and served Pho with garnishes last night. Very delicious soup. I started the stock with the bones from a standing roast and added the vegetables from the bone broth recipe. Then I stretched it with plain stock made from beef base. Lots of time involved, and lots of pots and pans to clean, but entirely worth the effort. Froze a couple quarts for a weeknight. Great recipe.

• savorygoodness

• Cartersville USA

• 1/10/2016

For Zoesterjoy: replace beef broth with vegetable broth, soy sauce for fish sauce, and firm tofu (seasoned and baked or sauteed) adding it at the last minute. It should still be delicious!

• sraymond1

• 1/8/2016

I love Pho, but need advice for a vegetarian version!

• ZoesterJoy

• Bellingham WA

• 1/4/2016

I absolutely love this recipe.

• AmandaMCDS

• 4/7/2015