[Vietnamese Recipes] Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup) has long been one of my absolute favorite things to eat. There has been more than one occasion in which I have actually gotten in my car and driven over 45 minutes for the express purpose of indulging in good bowl of the stuff.

Pho (I found out in college that it’s actually pronounced “fuh.” For someone who’d been wantonly calling it “foe” for twenty years, this was an embarrassing revelation) is a Vietnamese noodle soup that’s often made with beef and topped with awesome things like fresh bean sprouts, basil, and chilies.

There’s just something about it—the fragrant broth, the slightly chewy rice noodles, and all the aromatic toppings (the squeeze of lime at the end is the BEST)—that seriously justify a 90 minute round trip drive.

Basically, a bowl of pho is only as good as its broth. There’s no trick to the noodles, really, and the beef is often added to the soup raw. The toppings are ALL raw. In short? No broth, no bacon.

I never really thought it would be realistic to make it myself at home…as I generally have very poor confidence when it comes to making broth, as well as the cynical but very much substantiated opinion that no broth I could make at home will ever taste as good as the MSG-laden restaurant equivalent.

I decided to take a stab at it anyway, and the results were both surprising and awesome. So there is a bit of prep involved to get the broth going, but after that, it’s just a long, slow simmer until you’re ready to assemble the dish.

Here are the three basic steps to a great pho broth:
Pre-boiling the beef bones and meat
Charring the ginger and onions
Toasting the spices

It’s pretty simple, and, as I found out after talking with a Vietnamese friend who cooks this dish on a regular basis for her family, totally accurate! She actually mentioned that the best way to make pho is actually not add salt, and instead add enough fish sauce to bring the broth to the correct level of saltiness.

Dat’s a lotta fish sauce.

She said that this method tastes the best, but most people don’t do it because fish sauce is so expensive. She also mentioned, rather proudly, that the Vietnamese brands of fish sauce are much more flavorful (and expensive at $9-$12 a bottle) than the Thai brands that most people buy. Which is just food for thought.

In accordance with this insider information, feel free to add more fish sauce to the broth and decrease the amount of salt. As is our mantra here at The Woks of Life, it’s all up to your own taste preferences!

You’ll need:

2 (3-inch) pieces ginger, cut in half lengthwise
2 onions, peeled
5 pounds beef marrow or knuckle bones
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2 pieces
2 scallions, cut into 4-inch lengths
1/3 cup fish sauce
2 ½ ounces rock sugar, or 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 star anise
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom pod (optional)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound dried pho noodles
1/3 pound beef sirloin, slightly frozen, then sliced paper-thin against the grain

Garnishes:

Sliced chili
Thinly sliced onion
Chopped scallion
Cilantro
Mung bean sprouts
Thai basil
Lime wedges

Start by charring your ginger and onions. One at a time, use tongs to hold the ginger and onions (one at a time) over an open flame, or place it directly on an electric burner. Turn until they’re lightly blackened and fragrant about 3 minutes. Rinse away all the blackened skins and set aside.

Place the bones and beef chuck in large stockpot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and thoroughly clean the stockpot. This process will give you a much cleaner broth.

Add 5 quarts fresh water back to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Transfer the bones and meat back to the pot, along with the charred/cleaned ginger and onions. Add the scallions, fish sauce and sugar. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beef chuck is tender, about 40 minutes. Skim the surface often to remove any foam and fat.

Remove one piece of the chuck and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Transfer the beef to a container and refrigerate. Leave the other piece of chuck in the pot.

Now toast the spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pod (if using), fennel seeds, and coriander seeds) in a dry pan over medium low heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Use kitchen string to tie up the spices in a piece of cheesecloth, and add it to the broth.

Continue simmering for another 4 hours. Add the salt and continue to simmer, skimming as necessary, until you’re ready to assemble the rest of the dish. Taste broth and adjust seasoning by adding more salt, sugar, and/or fish sauce as needed.

To serve, boil the noodles according to package instructions. Add to a bowl. Place a few slices of the beef chuck and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and ladle it into each bowl. The hot broth will cook the beef. Garnish with your toppings, and be sure to squeeze a lot of fresh lime juice over the top!

Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 5 hours, 30 minutes

Total Time: 6 hours


Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

You’ll need:
2 (3-inch) pieces ginger, cut in half lengthwise
2 onions, peeled
5 pounds beef marrow or knuckle bones
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2 pieces
2 scallions, cut into 4-inch lengths
1/3 cup fish sauce
2 ½ ounces rock sugar, or 2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
8 star anise
6 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 black cardamom pod (optional)
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon salt
1 pound dried pho noodles
1/3 pound beef sirloin, slightly frozen, then sliced paper-thin against the grain

Garnishes:
Sliced chili
Thinly sliced onion
Chopped scallion
Cilantro
Mung bean sprouts
Thai basil
Lime wedges

INSTRUCTION

1. Start by charring your ginger and onions. One at a time, use tongs to hold the ginger and onions (one at a time) over an open flame, or place it directly on an electric burner. Turn until they’re lightly blackened and fragrant about 3 minutes. Rinse away all the blackened skins and set aside.

2. Place the bones and beef chuck in large stockpot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Drain in a colander and thoroughly clean the stockpot. This process will give you a much cleaner broth.

3. Add 5 quarts fresh water back to the stockpot and bring to a boil. Transfer the bones and meat back to the pot, along with the charred/cleaned ginger and onions. Add the scallions, fish sauce and sugar. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the beef chuck is tender, about 40 minutes. Skim the surface often to remove any foam and fat.

4. Remove one piece of the chuck and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Transfer the beef to a container and refrigerate. Leave the other piece of chuck in the pot.

5. Now toast the spices (star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom, fennel seeds, and coriander seeds) in a dry pan over medium low heat for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Use kitchen string to tie up the spices in a piece of cheesecloth, and add it to the broth.

6. Continue simmering for another 4 hours. Add the salt and continue to simmer, skimming as necessary, until you're ready to assemble the rest of the dish. Taste broth and adjust seasoning by adding more salt, sugar, and/or fish sauce as needed.

7. To serve, boil the noodles according to package instructions. Add to a bowl. Place a few slices of the beef chuck and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and ladle it into each bowl. The hot broth will cook the beef. Garnish with your toppings, and be sure to squeeze a lot of fresh lime juice over the top!

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Thewoksoflife.com. Thanks so much!