Recipe: It’s Easy To Scale Jerry Mai’s Beef Pho for a Crowd This Winter

When chef Jerry Mai isn’t running Pho Nom or working on other projects, she often has a full house at home – not just with her two kids, but usually a bunch of guests, too.

“I do a little bit too much hosting,” she laughs. “I need to calm my farm.”

Still, she loves the camaraderie and comfort that comes with hosting at home – especially with larger groups, where going out can sometimes feel more complicated than it’s worth.

“When you go out to eat, you don’t always get exactly what you want, and then you’ve gotta find a way home,” she says. “If you’re home already, it’s so much easier.”

For celebrations, she’s been known to fire up the barbeque for something ambitious – like a whole pig, a beef leg or rack of ribs. But in winter, one of her go-to dishes is a big pot of pho.

“What can be better than a bowl of pho in that weather?” she says.

It’s warming, generous and easy to scale up for a crowd. Mai keeps a 20 or 30-litre pot on hand for the occasion.

“If I’m inviting people over, we’ll smash through all of that,” she says. “But if I’m batch-cooking, I freeze the broth, and then I can use it again whenever I want.”

Part of the appeal is how customisable it is. For bigger gatherings, she sets up a buffet-style spread in the kitchen so guests can build their own bowls.

“I’ll make noodles, and then you build your own bowl,” she says. “The broth is the base, and then I’ll have brisket, little beef balls, the rare beef, of course. Sometimes I have beef ribs in there as well; chicken tripe if anybody’s game.”

There’s always plenty of chilli on the table, too. To offset the spice, Mai gravitates towards light, refreshing drinks. For more formal sit-down occasions, she’ll usually begin with a cocktail – often a Tommy’s Margarita with a chilli-salt rim – before moving on to white wine and beer.

She is most drawn toward crisp beers like Nomikai, a Japanese-style lager with a clean, refreshing finish.

“I don’t like big heavy beers, so I really like lager,” she says. And it doesn’t hurt that the crispness of Nomikai pairs well with the freshness and spice of Vietnamese food.

Mai has hosted groups as large as 60 people, but regardless of the size, her approach has become more relaxed over time.

“My hosting tip is to keep it really simple,” she says. “I do all the work beforehand. I used to think I was running a restaurant; I’d be cooking as we were getting into the next course. Now, I prep beforehand so I get more time to spend with the people I invited over.”

Beef pho by Jerry Mai

Serves 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 30–45 minutes

Ingredients

2L beef bone broth
1 brown onion
1 knob ginger
6 star anise
Small piece cassia bark
2 cloves
1 black cardamon
½ tsp coriander seeds
Fish sauce
Rock sugar

To serve
500g fresh pho noodles (banh pho)
250g beef sirloin, sliced thin
200g beef balls

Garnish
Sliced brown onion
Sliced coriander
Sliced spring onion
Bean shoots
Thai basil
Sriracha chilli sauce
Hoisin sauce

Method

Place beef bone broth in a pot over high heat and bring to the boil. In a separate pan or in the oven, roast onion and ginger and add to broth. Toast spices in a dry pan then add to broth. Simmer all together for 30 minutes then season with fish sauce and rock sugar.

Blanch noodles in boiling water and portion into bowls. Top noodles with sliced raw beef and beef balls. Ladle hot broth over the meat to cook and garnish with onion, coriander and spring onion.

Serve with bean shoots, Thai basil, sriracha and hoisin on the table. People can add as they like.

This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Liquorland. Nomikai Japanese-style lager is available at Liquorland – shop online now.