History

The Twin Cities Vietnamese community grew steadily after 1975 and now numbers around 30,000 in the metro, concentrated along University Avenue in Saint Paul and around Eat Street on Nicollet in Minneapolis. Quang opened on Nicollet in 1989 as a four-table bakery run by Lung Tran and grew across the street into the full restaurant; five of Tran's children still run the line. The pho-tai cult is real: Twin Cities reviewers regularly debate Quang versus Pham's Deli at Midtown Global Market versus Pho Tau Bay, with Quang holding the popular vote for the cleanest broth and the biggest portion.

Common allergens: Gluten, Soy

Make it at home

Yield Serves 4Hands-on 45 minTotal 5 hrDifficulty Intermediate

Ingredients

  • 3 lb beef knuckle or marrow bones
  • 1 oxtail (about 1 lb)
  • 1 onion halved, 1 thumb ginger halved, both charred
  • 4 star anise, 4 cloves, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 black cardamom
  • 1 tbsp coriander seed
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp rock sugar
  • 1 lb dried banh pho rice noodles
  • 8 oz eye-of-round, sliced as thin as paper
  • Bean sprouts, thai basil, lime, sliced jalapeno, hoisin and sriracha to serve

Method

  1. Blanch bones and oxtail in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse to clear scum.
  2. Char onion and ginger directly over a flame or under broiler until blackened.
  3. Toast spices in a dry pan until fragrant, about 1 minute. Tie in a cheesecloth bundle.
  4. Combine bones, oxtail, onion, ginger and spice bundle in a stockpot with 6 quarts cold water. Simmer gently for 4 hours, skimming often.
  5. Strain. Season with fish sauce and rock sugar. Hold hot.
  6. Cook noodles per packet. Divide between bowls. Top with raw beef slices. Ladle boiling broth over the meat to cook on contact. Serve with garnishes.

Tip from the editors. Slice the eye-of-round half-frozen with a sharp knife; the meat must be paper-thin to cook through in seconds when the broth hits it.

This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.

Where to eat pho tai

Pho tai in Minneapolis

Pham's Deli ★ 4.4

eat-streetMon-Sat 09:00-19:00

Pham's Deli inside Midtown Global Market on Lake Street has rolled Vietnamese banh mi in Minneapolis since 2006. Pork-pate sandwich made-to-order.

Try: Vietnamese banh mi

920 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

More cities are in research. Want pho tai covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.

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