could you pass along a recipe for Pho'? I used to get it at a local Vietnamese place, but it closed down shortly after the economy tanked.
Here is my Pho recipe....given to me by a Vietnamese friend who used to have a street stand in Saigon.
I've made a couple of changes to make things a little easier....
Pho
4lbs Oxtails
2- Slices of beef shank (these are the 1 inch thick slices you can get in most ethnic markets, be sure they have the big marrow bone in the middle)
1- 3 inch piece of unpeeled ginger
1- Large onion unpeeled and cut in half
1/3 cup of Fish Sauce (taste once broth is cooked, I always add a bit more and so does he)
9- Star Anise
5- whole cloves
1- 3 inch cinnamon stick
1 1/2 teaspoon of fennel seeds
3 fresh bay leaves (I use dried and mine always turns out great)
1- tablespoon of salt (I use Kosher salt)
Broth:
Put the oxtails and the beef shank slices in a large pot, cover them with water and bring to a boil. Boil them for about 1 minute, drain them and rinse the meats with cool water. (I sometimes soak the oxtails in salted water for an hour or so before this step. Helps to eliminate even more of the scum that will form)
Wipe the pot clean, and put the meats back into the pot. Cover the meats by 4 inches of water, you should use just over a gallon and a half. Bring to a full boil again, reduce heat to a fast simmer, if there is scum skim it it.
Take the ginger and the onion and put them under the broiler, burn them, you want a nice char on all sides. Takes about 15 to 20 minutes depending on your broiler. Let them cool, and then rinse them under the faucet to remove most of the char. Chop the ginger into a couple pieces and through the ginger and the onion halves into the pot along with the Fish Sauce and 1 tablespoon of salt.
Put the cloves, star anise, and cinnamon stick into a dry sauté pan over medium heat, and toast them. (When I can smell them and they've slightly darkened they are done) Add them to the pot along with the fennel seeds (I've tried to toast the fennel seeds and they pop and I usually loose about half of them so I don't toast them anymore)and the bay leaves.
Now my friend ties the spices up in a nice little cheesecloth bundle, I don't, because I strain the broth anyway.
Reduce the heat to a low simmer and let the whole thing go for about four hours or so uncovered. You ultimately end up with about 3 quarts or so. Remove the spices and the meats, if you tied the spices up in a bundle let the pot continue to simmer while the meats cool. If not then strain the broth and return it to the pot and continue simmering while the meats cool.
When the meats have cooled pull the meat from the bones. Set the meat aside and put the bones back into the broth, simmer for about another hour or until the broth is nice and rich, it will seem like it is ever so slightly thickened. At this point remove the broth from the heat, add the meats, let the whole thing cool and refrigerate over night.
Now we are ready to de-fat and reheat the broth. Once the broth has come up to a simmer again taste it and add additional Fish Sauce if it needs it. To me it always does!
Veggies and Stuff:
1lb of rice noodles (I use the thin ones, but the thick ones are fine to)
2- Bunches of green onions (sliced on the bias very thinly)
1- Bunch of cilantro (he chops his, I like the whole leaves)
1- Bunch of parsley (same as the cilantro)
1- bunch of basil whole leaves
2 or 3 limes cut into wedges
3 or 4 jalapenos thinly sliced cross wise
Bean Sprouts (I buy these buy the 2 pound bag at my local Asian market)
1lb Beef filet very thinly sliced cross wise (I normally buy a couple filet mignon steaks)
You can also add whatever meats you'd like, I normally clean and cook a bit of Tripe, which I thinly slice and add when I reheat the broth. But it really isn't a must.
Sriracha Sauce (red chili sauce) Plum or Hoisin Sauce
Place the lime wedges, herbs, and chili's in their own little piles on a platter of plate.
In another pot bring about a gallon of water to the boil, toss your rice noodles into the boiling water and remove them from the heat. Let them sit stirring 4 or 5 times for about 5-8 minutes. Keep your eye on the noodles; they will cook/soften up in no time. Stirring is very important cuz they'll stick together. Once they are soft rinse them thoroughly under cold running water.
Now we are ready to assemble.
For each portion you'll need a very large soup bowl. Rinse them under hot water so the bowls are warm.
Bring the broth to a good boil.
This should serve about four people, so divide the noodles between four bowls. Put a serving of Oxtail, shank meat and sliced raw filet on top of the noodles. Now cover the noodles and meats with broth.
Garnish with the herbs, chili's, sprouts, green onions, lime wedges...and sauces.
ENJOY!