Hanoi-style beef pho
Pho is a Vietnamese soup with rice noodles, meat and vegetables. This is beef pho recreated from a hot bowl of noodle soup I enjoyed in Hanoi.
Servings 4 people
Ingredients
Broth
- 800 grams soup bones (about 1.7 pounds) beef shank, tail, ribs or a combination of two or all of them
- 7 cloves
- 4 star anise
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 cinnamon bark
- 5 cloves garlic (no need to peel)
- 1 small onion (or half of a medium onion), halved or quartered
- 1 one-inch knob ginger (no need to peel)
- lemongrass a few stalks, pounded (optional)
- fish sauce
- ½ kilogram beef brisket or beef short plate, in one piece, (1.1 pounds) scrubbed thoroughly with rock salt
Noodle soup
- 200 grams rice noodles (7 oz) soaked in cold water for 15 minutes then drained
- cilantro stems and leaves
- sliced scallions
- lime wedges
Instructions
Make the broth
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Rinse the bones and pat dry with a kitchen towel.
- Lay the bones in a baking tray and roast in the oven until the edges are nicely browned.
- Toast the cloves, coriander seeds and star anise in an oil-free pan. Set aside.
- Spread the cinnamon bark, garlic, onion, ginger and lemongrass in another baking sheet and roast in the oven until nicely charred.
- Dump the roasted bones, spices and vegetables into a pot and pour in four liters of water.
- Pour in a quarter cup of fish sauce.
- Bring to the boil. Allow to boil, uncovered, for about ten minutes.
- Slide in the slab of brisket (or short plate), leave until boiling then leave to boil for another ten minutes.
- Lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about three hours or until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Taste the broth occasionally and add more fish sauce, as needed.
Assemble your beef pho
- Scoop out the beef, transfer to a chopping board and cut into slices.
- Strain the broth, discard the bones, herbs and spices, pour back into the pot and bring to a gentle boil.
- Drop the noodles into the broth, cook just until softened, drain and divide among individual bowls.
- Arrange beef slices on top of the noodles.
- Add cilantro, scallions and lime wedges (or serve these on the side).
- Pour in hot broth and serve.
