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Vietnamese Phở

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Servings 6

Ingredients
  

Aromatics

  • 2 large onions, halved
  • 5 oz ginger, sliced down the center

Spices

  • 10 star anise
  • 4 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 3 cloves
  • 1.5 tbsp coriander seeds

Beef Bones

  • 3 lb beef brisket
  • 2 lb meaty beef bones
  • 2 lb marrow bones (cut to reveal marrow)
  • 15 cups water

Seasoning

  • 2 tbsp white sugar
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 3 tbsp fish sauce

Per Bowl

  • 1.5 oz medium flat rice noodles
  • 1 oz beef tenderloin, raw, thinly-sliced
  • 3 to 5 brisket slices (used for broth)

Toppings

  • 1 handful bean sprouts
  • 5 sprigs Thai basil
  • lime wedges
  • finely-sliced hot chili
  • Hoison sauce
  • Sriracha

Instructions
 

Aromatics

  • Heat a heavy based skillet over high heat (no oil) until smoking
  • Place onion and ginger in pan cut side down,, Cook for a few minutes until it’s charred, then turn. Remove and set aside
  • Toast Spices lightly in a dry skillet over medium high heat for 3 minutes

Remove Impurities

  • Rinse bones and brisket then cover with water in large stock pot.
  • Boil for 5 minutes, then drain.
  • Rinse each bone and brisket under tap water.

Broth

  • Wipe pot clean, bring 4 quarts water to boil.
  • Add bones and brisket, onion, ginger, spices
  • Add onion, ginger, Spices, sugar and salt - water should just barely cover everything.
  • Cover with lid, simmer 3 hours up to 8 hours
  • Remove brisket (should be fall-apart tender), cool then refrigerate for later.
  • Simmer remaining soup uncovered for 40 minutes
  • Strain broth into another pot, discard bones and spices. Should be about 10 cups.
  • Add fish sauce, adjust salt and sugar if needed. Broth should be beefy, fragrant with spices, savory and barely sweet.

Assemble

  • Prepare rice noodles per packet, just prior to serving
  • Place noodles, raw beef, and brisket in bowl.
  • Ladle hot broth over all - beef will cook to med rare
  • Serve with Toppings on the side

Notes

  • Brisket adds way more flavor into broth than any bones and other beef like chuck. Left over broth freezes well for months.
  • Marrow bones can be subbed with more meaty beef bones but soup may lack richness.
  • Partially freeze (about 30 minutes) beef before slicing thinly. Many Asian markets also will thinly slice for you.