Asian Beef Broth

This Asian Beef Broth is the perfect base for your favorite noodle soups, stews, and braises. It's light yet flavorful with just the right amount of umami from the beef meat, bones, and aromatics. It has the signature Asian flavors of ginger, cardamom, and coriander with a hint of sweetness from star anise and cinnamon that will give your dishes a complex and robust flavor.

If you love soups, stews, or any cozy dish that requires a flavorful broth, then you'll love this homemade beef broth. Making this at home is one of the best ways to get that rich, deep flavor without having to use a lot of ingredients. Even better, this beef broth is so versatile that it can be used in a variety of dishes ranging from Chinese noodle soup to Vietnamese Pho.

Why You'll Love this Asian Beef Broth

• Better than store-bought broth. Throwing a carton of broth into your dishes won’t give you the same depth of flavor, richness, and thickness that this homemade Asian beef broth will. Trust me, you’ll be able to taste the difference!
• Extremely simple to make. You don’t need to be a chef to make this delicious beef broth. All it takes is a few basic ingredients like good-quality beef meat and bones with seasonings, 20 minutes of prep time, and about 3 hours of simmering.
• Perfect for any dish. This broth is perfect for making any kind of noodle dishes, soups, stews, and braises with an Asian twist. You can even enjoy it as a hot soup with rice and veggies for a simple and comforting meal.
• Versatile. On its own, the broth is extremely delicious and flavorful. But you can customize it to your liking by adding different vegetables like carrots, celery, green onions, and shiitake mushrooms.

Ingredient Notes

To make this nourishing Asian Beef Broth, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):

• beef - for the most flavorful broth, use a mix of bones and meaty pieces. I kept it simple by using marrow bones and oxtails, but you can opt for knuckles, joints, short ribs, back ribs, shank, or chuck.
• water - use cold water for rinsing the bones. Use just enough water to boil the beef with the aromatics.
• white vinegar - for soaking the bones to end up with a clear broth.
• salt and fish sauce - for seasoning the broth. Use just enough salt and fish sauce and adjust to your taste.
• ginger - it gives the broth a spicy yet comforting flavor that's common in Asian cooking.
• onion - for a subtle sweetness and a bit of umami flavor.
• lime - it adds a bright flavor and helps to balance out the richness of the beef.
• sugar - a touch of sugar helps to round out all the good flavors and give the broth a classic Vietnamese flavor.
• star anise - a unique Asian spice that adds a sweet and licorice-like flavor to the broth.
• cinnamon - another favorite in Asian cooking for its sweet aroma that gives warmth and spice to the broth. I use sticks.
• cardamom - these small black seeds have an aromatic, sweet, and slightly smoky flavor with hints of citrus and mint. You can use ground or pods.
• coriander - for an earthy touch that adds complexity to the broth.

You will also need measuring cups and spoons, a Dutch oven or stockpot (or Instant Pot pressure cooker), a slotted spoon, tongs, and a fine mesh sieve.

How to Make the Best Asian Beef Broth

First, prep the bones.

Rinse the bones and oxtails in cold water to remove blood and bone fragments.

Fill a large mixing bowl with cold water. Add white vinegar and salt and place the bones and meat inside to immerse it. Soak for 15-20 minutes. This helps get rid of some impurities and gives a much clearer broth in the end.

Next, make the broth.

Stovetop Method

1. Boil. In a large 5.5 quart Dutch oven or stockpot, add beef bones, oxtails and 5 quarts of water. Heat over high heat and bring it to a boil. Boil for 5-10 minutes until you see foamy bits float on top. Use a slotted spoon or sieve to remove as much foam as possible.

2. Add seasoning. Reduce the heat to medium and add ginger, onion, lime, sugar, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom, and coriander seeds. Stir to combine. Cover with lid and simmer for 3 hours. Check occasionally and remove more foamy bits and fat if necessary.

3. Remove bones. Use tongs to transfer all the bones and oxtails into a large mixing bowl. Remove all the edible meat from the bones and oxtails (the meat should fall of the bone). Set aside to add to other recipes such noodles soup like Vietnamese Pho.
4. Strain. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into another large pot and discard all the spices, remaining small bits, and fat. Add salt and fish sauce to taste.

Asian Beef Broth in the Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker)

1. Once the beef bones and oxtails have been soaked, place into the instant pot along with ginger, onion, lime, sugar, star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom and coriander seeds. Stir to combine.
2. Set to pressure cooking mode for 1 ½ hours. Once the time is up, press the quick release to release all the pressure.
3. Remove as much foam bits and fat as possible with a slotted spoon. This helps preserve the flavors of the broth.
4. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve into another large pot and discard all the spices, remaining small bits, and fat.
5. Use tongs to transfer all the bones and oxtails into a large mixing bowl. Remove all the edible meat from the bones and oxtails (the meat should fall of the bone). Set aside.
6. Add salt and fish sauce to the broth, to taste.

Finally, serve the beef broth.

Serve the beef broth immediately on its own or with noodles, if desired. Use it in our Vietnamese Pho recipe.

You can also store it in the fridge or freezer (See Storing Instructions below).

How to Serve

Serve this delicious Asian Beef Broth on its own with some rice, meat, and stir-fried vegetables, or use it as a base for noodle soups, stews, and braises. It is a must make recipe for Vietnamese Pho.

To serve it with some side dishes, try these Asian favorites:

• Beef Potstickers
• Instant Pot Chicken Fried Rice
• Beef Noodle Stir Fry
• Orange Chicken
• Tofu and Mushroom Stir Fry
• Steamed Scallion Buns

Storing and Freezing Instructions

How to Store

Once cooled to room temperature, store the leftover broth in a glass jar or airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week until ready to use. You can store it in portions for easier access.

How to Reheat

Reheat the broth in a saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally, before using in your favorite recipes.

How to Freeze

Store the cooled broth in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.

More Beef Soup Recipes

• 60 Best Soup Recipes
• Slow Cooker Bone Broth
• Beef Wild Rice Soup
• Pot Roast Soup
• Slow Cooker Asian Beef Noodle Soup
• Beef Cabbage Barley Soup

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