Heavywalker
Well-Known Member
This takes some work but damn this stuff is so good and fragrant, your house will smell like heaven for the day.
FOR Pho Broth
• 5 to 6 pounds of beef knuckles or leg bones (Ox tail will work if you can't find leg bones)
• 6 quarts cold water
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise (No need to peel)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 6 star anise
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 black cardamom pod (or ¼ teaspoon black cardamom seeds)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1-inch piece yellow rock sugar or a 1-2 tablespoon white table sugar if you cannot find rock sugar
FOR Assembly of Pho Soup Bowls
• 1 to 2 pounds small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh “banh pho” noodles or rice vermicelli noodles
• 1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (as thin as possible)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
OPTIONAL Garnishes Served Alongside Pho
• Sprigs of fresh mint and/or Asian/Thai basil
• Bean sprouts
• Thinly sliced red chilies (such as Thai bird)
• radish sticks
• lime wedges
• Fish sauce
• Hoisin sauce
Directions
FOR Pho Broth
1. Parboil Bones: Add beef bones to a large pot that will hold at least 10 quarts. Then, cover bones with cold water. Place pot onto high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes. During this time, impurities and foam (or scum) will be released and rise to the top.
2. Drain bones, discarding the water. Then, rinse bones with warm water and scrub stockpot to remove any residue that has stuck to the sides. Add the bones back to the stockpot and cover with 6 quarts of cold water.
3. Char Onion and Ginger: Move an oven rack to a high position then turn broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Place quartered onions and halved ginger onto baking sheet then broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning onions and ginger occasionally so that they become charred or browned on all sides.
5. Toast Spices: Add cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and the black cardamom to a dry frying pan. Place onto low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant. About 5 minutes.
6. Place toasted spices into a cotton muslin bag/herb sachet or cheesecloth then tie with butchers twine to seal.
7. Simmer Broth: Bring stockpot with parboiled bones and water to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Add charred onion and ginger as well as the bag or sachet of toasted spices.
8. Next, add pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, a 1/4 cup of fish sauce and the rock sugar.
9. Continue to simmer broth for 3-4 hours until broth acheives desired color. If at any time foam or scum rises to the surface, use a spoon to remove it.
10. Strain Broth: Use tongs or a wide mesh spoon to remove bones, onion and ginger from broth then strain broth through a fine mesh strainer.
11. Skim Fat: 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 then refrigerate overnight. As the broth cools, the fat will solidify, making it very easy to remove.
Pho Soup Bowls
1. Heat Broth: Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
2. Soak or Rinse Noodles: If you are using dried noodles, add noodles to a bowl then cover with hot water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and opaque. If you are using fresh, add to a colander then rinse with cold water.
3. Cook Noodles: Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place noodles into boiling water and cook for about 10 seconds or until they collapse. Drain noodles then divide between bowls. (We like to fill each bowl by 1/3 with noodles).
4. Fill Bowls: Now, arrange slices of raw meat into bowl. Then top with hot broth. The broth will cook the meat, it is important to have you meat sliced thin enough for the broth to do its job.
5. Finish broth with optional garnishes.
Store extra broth in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Notes:
Cook noodles per the recommendation on the package.
Freeze meat slightly for an easier time slicing, try to make it about the thickness of lunch meat.
You do not need to do the Parboil on the bones but this helps reduce the amount of skimming that you need to do through the process.
Skim as much fat as possible, pho is supposed to be a fragrant delicate soup and fat really takes away from that. You can also put the broth in the fridge and let the fat solidify at the top overnight if you don't mind waiting for the next day.
FOR Pho Broth
• 5 to 6 pounds of beef knuckles or leg bones (Ox tail will work if you can't find leg bones)
• 6 quarts cold water
• 2 medium onions, quartered
• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise (No need to peel)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 6 star anise
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 black cardamom pod (or ¼ teaspoon black cardamom seeds)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1-inch piece yellow rock sugar or a 1-2 tablespoon white table sugar if you cannot find rock sugar
FOR Assembly of Pho Soup Bowls
• 1 to 2 pounds small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh “banh pho” noodles or rice vermicelli noodles
• 1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (as thin as possible)
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
OPTIONAL Garnishes Served Alongside Pho
• Sprigs of fresh mint and/or Asian/Thai basil
• Bean sprouts
• Thinly sliced red chilies (such as Thai bird)
• radish sticks
• lime wedges
• Fish sauce
• Hoisin sauce
Directions
FOR Pho Broth
1. Parboil Bones: Add beef bones to a large pot that will hold at least 10 quarts. Then, cover bones with cold water. Place pot onto high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes. During this time, impurities and foam (or scum) will be released and rise to the top.
2. Drain bones, discarding the water. Then, rinse bones with warm water and scrub stockpot to remove any residue that has stuck to the sides. Add the bones back to the stockpot and cover with 6 quarts of cold water.
3. Char Onion and Ginger: Move an oven rack to a high position then turn broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Place quartered onions and halved ginger onto baking sheet then broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning onions and ginger occasionally so that they become charred or browned on all sides.
5. Toast Spices: Add cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and the black cardamom to a dry frying pan. Place onto low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant. About 5 minutes.
6. Place toasted spices into a cotton muslin bag/herb sachet or cheesecloth then tie with butchers twine to seal.
7. Simmer Broth: Bring stockpot with parboiled bones and water to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Add charred onion and ginger as well as the bag or sachet of toasted spices.
8. Next, add pepper 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt, a 1/4 cup of fish sauce and the rock sugar.
9. Continue to simmer broth for 3-4 hours until broth acheives desired color. If at any time foam or scum rises to the surface, use a spoon to remove it.
10. Strain Broth: Use tongs or a wide mesh spoon to remove bones, onion and ginger from broth then strain broth through a fine mesh strainer.
11. Skim Fat: 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 then refrigerate overnight. As the broth cools, the fat will solidify, making it very easy to remove.
Pho Soup Bowls
1. Heat Broth: Bring the broth to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
2. Soak or Rinse Noodles: If you are using dried noodles, add noodles to a bowl then cover with hot water and soak for 15 to 20 minutes until soft and opaque. If you are using fresh, add to a colander then rinse with cold water.
3. Cook Noodles: Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place noodles into boiling water and cook for about 10 seconds or until they collapse. Drain noodles then divide between bowls. (We like to fill each bowl by 1/3 with noodles).
4. Fill Bowls: Now, arrange slices of raw meat into bowl. Then top with hot broth. The broth will cook the meat, it is important to have you meat sliced thin enough for the broth to do its job.
5. Finish broth with optional garnishes.
Store extra broth in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 6 weeks.
Notes:
Cook noodles per the recommendation on the package.
Freeze meat slightly for an easier time slicing, try to make it about the thickness of lunch meat.
You do not need to do the Parboil on the bones but this helps reduce the amount of skimming that you need to do through the process.
Skim as much fat as possible, pho is supposed to be a fragrant delicate soup and fat really takes away from that. You can also put the broth in the fridge and let the fat solidify at the top overnight if you don't mind waiting for the next day.
Most of what I have read says that the star anise is a critical ingredient in the broth. It just ain't Pho King right without it. Bich!!!!
