Vietnamese red wine beef soup—phở bò sốt vang
I grew up with all kind of noodle soups—phở bò (the famous Vietnamese beef noodle soup), bún riêu (crab noodle soup), miến gà (chicken vermicelli soup), and so many more. Each soup has different flavours, ingredients and varies in the complexity. But they all have one common thing—it’s all about the broth. I think the same argument can be made for ramen or laksa or any noodle soup out there.
While most people have heard of beef pho even if they’ve never been to Viet Nam before, not many have had red wine beef pho. A more simple, yet flavourful and rich beef noodle soup compared to the tradition beef pho. My mum usually makes this dish on the first day of winter in Hanoi, when the first cold wind arrives. Since I’ve moved to New Zealand, it’s my go to dish whenever I feel homesick or down in the dumps. This dish honestly feels like a warm hug in a bowl.
George and I always tend to make a big pot of this soup, then freeze some for those days we can’t be bothered cooking. We both think the soup tastes even better after being frozen.
Ingredients (6-8 servings)
To marinade the beef
roughly 1kg of beef (chuck steak or brisket or any slow cook cut)
3 tsp of salt
2 tsp of brown sugar
2 tsp of five-spice powder
1 tbsp of red wine (I tend to get a relatively cheap bottle of merlot or pinot noir)
For making the soup
2 400ml-cans of chopped tomatoes in juice or puree
1 big onions, diced
3-4 garlics, minced
1-2 tbsp of butter or oil
2-3 bay leaves
2 tbsp of fish sauce
1 tsp of five-spice powder
more red wine!
fresh coriander/ spring onions for topping later
lemon
Instruction
Cut the beef into bite-sized cubes, about 3cm, marinade with all the seasonings and leave for at least 2 hours. Better to do it overnight. The longer you leave the beef to marinade, the better it will taste.
Heat up the oil/butter in a 4l pot, once the oil is heated, put onions & garlics in and sauté till fragrant, approx. 1 mins
Put the beef in and sear it till the meat is no longer red.
Pour in the cans of tomatoes, stir evenly, add hot water to about 3L mark on the pot or till the meat is fully submerged, keep the heat on high and close the lid. Wait for the broth to boil.
Once the broth is boiling, reduce the heat to low, scoop out any gunks or brown bubbles, add more red wine (I just kinda pour in without measuring :D), five-spice powder, fish sauce and bay leaves. Taste and adjust the seasoning to your likings.
Slow cook this on low heat for at least 2 hours. Keep an eye on it and make sure it stay simmering. After 2 hours, taste the beef to see if it’s soft and done.
Cook the rice noodle in boiling water for 7 minutes, drain in cold water until the starch is rinsed off.
(Optional) Steam some bok choy and add them to the soup before serving.
Serve noodle in a bowl, sprinkle lots of coriander or spring onions, and pour the soup all over. Top it off with some ground black pepper and squeeze some lemon juice. And ta-da!
— bon appétit —
Let me know if you try this recipe and hope you enjoy!
Till next time, x
