Vietnamese Beef Pho

To get the broth going, parboil the bones. (Parboiling the bones is optional. I like to, because it rids the bones/marrow of impurities. You can, of course, skim the scum off the top of the water as it boils, but I like to be thorough.) Toss the beef bones into a large pot. Cover the bones with cold water, then place the pot onto high heat, bringing the water to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes. During this time, impurities and foam will be released and rise to the top.

Drain the bones, discarding the water. Rinse the bones with warm water and scrub the stockpot to remove any residue that has stuck to the sides. Put the bones back into the stockpot, and cover with 6 quarts of cold water. Bring the water to a rolling boil, and then bring it down to a gentle simmer.

Place an oven rack to a high position, then turn the broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the quartered onions and halved ginger onto the baking sheet. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning onions and ginger occasionally so that they become charred or browned on all sides. Keep an eye on them.

In the meantime, toast the spices. Add the cinnamon sticks, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and the black cardamom pod (if you’ve got it) to a dry frying pan on low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant, approximately 5 minutes.

Place the toasted spices into a cotton muslin bag/herb sachet or cheesecloth, and then tie with butchers twine to seal. If you don’t have any of the aforementioned, you can empty out a regular tea bag by cutting a small hole into it, and placing the spices inside. Then, just gently tuck the tea bag where you made the incision. Sure, some spices may escape, but it’s better than having to fish for all of them in the end.

Add the charred onion, ginger, and the bag or sachet of toasted spices to the stockpot. Then add sea salt, fish sauce (see note below), and the rock sugar, if you have it. Allow your broth to simmer for 3 hours. If at any time foam or scum rises to the surface, use a spoon to remove it.

After 3 hours have passed, use tongs or a wide mesh spoon to remove the bones, onion and ginger from the broth. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer, then add the sliced scallions to the broth. This is optional, but man do I love me some scallions.

The broth will have a layer of fat at the the top. There are two ways to remove this. First, if you plan to enjoy the broth now, skim the fat from the top of the broth using a spoon. If you do not mind waiting, you can also pour broth into containers and refrigerate overnight. As the broth cools, the fat will solidify, making it very easy to remove.

To assemble the bowls, heat the broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat (if re-heating). Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Most Pho recipes I’ve encountered have instructed people to put slices of raw beef into their soup. I didn’t have access to that quality of beef, so I cooked mine to a nice medium rare.

Garnish with sliced scallions, chilis, Thai basil, lime, bean sprouts, and well, cilantro if you’re into that. Add a dash of fish sauce and serve with hoisin sauce on the side.

Note: I’ve read that the best fish sauce to use is one that comes in a glass bottle and can be purchased for around $4–$6. Quality is key.

Recipe adapted from Andrea Nguyen’s Into the Vietnamese Kitchen, via Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.