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Anyone else a fan? Man - for me, it's like crack. And it is very, very easy to make at home. When I say 'easy', I don't mean 'quick' - there is a lot of slicing of the Pho additions and making a good broth is some work. But once you learn the general method it's simple. You can also do every bit of it in advance and then all you have to do is bring your broth to a boil and you're ready to eat. Nothing better than a house that smells like a big batch of Pho.
So here is my general recipe per your request Neophyte.
Ingredients:
1. Cut up your garnishes (I just put them in tupperware tubs) to include:
- cut some limes into wedges (6 wedges per lime)
- roughly chop some Basil and Cilantro and put them in separate containers
- Drain bean sprouts
- roughly chop some green onions
- slice up some jalapenos
2. Put your beef in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. It should get a little stiff, not freeze completely. With a serrated knife and cutting against the grain, cut long thin strips of the beef. Toss any fat you run into. Put the sliced beef in a container and back into the fridge.
2. Take your beef bones and cover them with water in a pot. Bring the pot to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Dump the water and rinse off the bones. Cover the bones with fresh water and add your 2 boxes of bone broth or beef stock. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer.
3. Cut your two onions in half leaving the skin on. Put them on a hot grill or in the oven on broil (as hot as you can get it). Scorch both sides of the onion. The onion halves should be scorched/charred/partially burned. Slice in half your big chunk of fresh ginger and char the two halves. Throw the charred onions (skins and all) and the ginger in your simmering stock. To the stock add your fish sauce, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, coriander and fennel seeds, sugar and salt. Cover and let simmer for 2-4 hours. At the end of that 2-4 hour period, strain the broth to remove all the solids. You should have a very fragrant clear beef broth at this point. If you can do the stock the day before that's even better., If you have time, put your stock pot in the fridge overnight or for a few hours (a freezer is even better). There should be a layer of fat on top after a few hours or the next morning. Skim all of that fat out. This is not a required step, but it will just make for a clearer, healthier, less greasy broth if you have the time to do this.
4. Take your pre-cooked noodles or spaghetti and cook them in a wok with some oil for 3-4 minutes. You just want to brown them a little.
5. Put your cold stock back on the stove and crank it up. Taste it and add salt if you need to (you want it a little salty but not overwhelming)
5. In some large bowls, place some of the cooked noodles and whatever additions your people want in their bowl (I suggest EVERYTHING!). Add a generous portion of your raw sliced beef to each bowl.
6. Once your stock is at a roiling boil (ie... as hot as you can get it), ladle the hot broth into each bowl. and stir everything up. The reason you want the stock as hot as possible is that everything in the bowl will be cold. The stock will actually cook the beef to a perfect medium rare in the bowl. If you do it the way I describe, the Pho will be at perfect eating temperature. You don't want to add the boiling stock until folks are at the table ready to eat.
This is a seriously great dish. Enjoy.
So here is my general recipe per your request Neophyte.
Ingredients:
- A couple boxes of beef bone broth or beef stock
- Fresh ginger (a big piece)
- 2 yellow onions
- 5 pounds beef bones (ox tails or whatever you can find - most groceries have them in the frozen meat section)
- 2-3 lbs of quality Beef (sirloin or chuck - you want beef with very little visible fat)
- 1/3 cup fish sauce
- 1 T Sugar
- 8 star anise
- 6 cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Cooked noodles (spaghetti will work but I usually buy the partially cooked noodles in the Asian food section of the grocery)
- Sliced jalapeno
- Chopped scallions
- Fresh Cilantro
- Canned bean sprouts
- Fresh Basil
- Lime wedges
- Hoisin Sauce
- Sriracha Sauce
1. Cut up your garnishes (I just put them in tupperware tubs) to include:
- cut some limes into wedges (6 wedges per lime)
- roughly chop some Basil and Cilantro and put them in separate containers
- Drain bean sprouts
- roughly chop some green onions
- slice up some jalapenos
2. Put your beef in the freezer for 20-30 minutes. It should get a little stiff, not freeze completely. With a serrated knife and cutting against the grain, cut long thin strips of the beef. Toss any fat you run into. Put the sliced beef in a container and back into the fridge.
2. Take your beef bones and cover them with water in a pot. Bring the pot to a boil and let boil for 10 minutes. Dump the water and rinse off the bones. Cover the bones with fresh water and add your 2 boxes of bone broth or beef stock. Bring to a boil then cover and reduce to a simmer.
3. Cut your two onions in half leaving the skin on. Put them on a hot grill or in the oven on broil (as hot as you can get it). Scorch both sides of the onion. The onion halves should be scorched/charred/partially burned. Slice in half your big chunk of fresh ginger and char the two halves. Throw the charred onions (skins and all) and the ginger in your simmering stock. To the stock add your fish sauce, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, coriander and fennel seeds, sugar and salt. Cover and let simmer for 2-4 hours. At the end of that 2-4 hour period, strain the broth to remove all the solids. You should have a very fragrant clear beef broth at this point. If you can do the stock the day before that's even better., If you have time, put your stock pot in the fridge overnight or for a few hours (a freezer is even better). There should be a layer of fat on top after a few hours or the next morning. Skim all of that fat out. This is not a required step, but it will just make for a clearer, healthier, less greasy broth if you have the time to do this.
4. Take your pre-cooked noodles or spaghetti and cook them in a wok with some oil for 3-4 minutes. You just want to brown them a little.
5. Put your cold stock back on the stove and crank it up. Taste it and add salt if you need to (you want it a little salty but not overwhelming)
5. In some large bowls, place some of the cooked noodles and whatever additions your people want in their bowl (I suggest EVERYTHING!). Add a generous portion of your raw sliced beef to each bowl.
6. Once your stock is at a roiling boil (ie... as hot as you can get it), ladle the hot broth into each bowl. and stir everything up. The reason you want the stock as hot as possible is that everything in the bowl will be cold. The stock will actually cook the beef to a perfect medium rare in the bowl. If you do it the way I describe, the Pho will be at perfect eating temperature. You don't want to add the boiling stock until folks are at the table ready to eat.
This is a seriously great dish. Enjoy.
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