How Jet Tila Makes Pho In A Fraction Of The Time

Jet Tila may be the official culinary ambassador to Thailand, but he knows his way around many types of cuisine — he's shown us how to make super-fast Szechuan beef, a phenomenal Buddha's delight, and his famous take on drunken noodles. But one of our favorite recipes that he's put his spin on is Vietnamese pho. Pho is a flavorful rice noodle soup that is famous for its rich broth — with a base typically made from beef bones that are parboiled, rinsed, simmered, and then skimmed, made all the more appetizing with a bouquet of aromatics — but it's a lot of work for that delicious payoff. When it comes to Tila's quick pho, however, he deviates from tradition (the broth alone can take up to two days to make) and gives home cooks a condensed version that takes a paltry two hours instead. 

The secret? Instead of charring and boiling bones, then clarifying the broth, Tila relies on a quick but flavorful fix: beef bouillon (or beef base). It's this concentrated broth that will pull out all the stops and give you the beefy (or veggie, depending on what you use) flavor pho needs. Coupled with the aromatics you find in a traditional pho base, and you'll have a solid dupe — but in a fraction of the time.

Of course, just because you're using a pre-made stock for your pho doesn't mean you can't enhance the flavor in other ways. One of the easiest ways to amp things up is to use the traditional sweetener. Rather than grabbing white sugar, get some yellow rock sugar – available online if you can't find it at the store. It's a little less sweet than its refined counterpart, so it won't pack as big a punch in your broth (which is a good thing).

Another fast way to take the flavor up a notch? Char your aromatics and spices. You'll soften and sweeten the aromatics, like the onion, and bring nuance to your spices — just be sure to remove the blackened skins of the onions and ginger before you toss them into your pot. You want to enhance the taste of your broth — not drown it out in acrid, burnt notes. 

Once served, you usually see it topped with beef (tofu is popular as well), fresh herbs (usually Thai basil), sliced peppers, and bean sprouts. So, for the best experience possible, get your bowls ready to eat as your broth simmers on the stove. You're going to want to ladle in boiling broth after all — especially if you plan on adding traditional raw beef shavings. And the easiest way to get those ultra-thin slices of beef? Slice your meat while it's frozen to make life easier. Add blanched rice noodles to your bowl, a few sprouts, and your beef. Then, after you've poured in some boiling broth, garnish your bowl of pho with chiles, herbs, and maybe a few more sprouts — you want these to just wilt rather than boil into oblivion. Finish with a gentle squirt of lime and enjoy.