2014 Cooking Club Week 39: Pho Bo

In my opinion there are two major rules to a good Pho: the beefiness/chickenness of the broth, and a pile of fresh herbs condiment to lift the dish entirely. The clarity of broth is purely aesthetic, but I'm open to arguments.
Traditionally served with raw beef, here I quickly sear the steak to give a bit of colour to the cow. Mooooooooo!


Pho Bo
Vietnamese Beef and Rice Noodle Soup
serves 6

Ingredients
2 cinnamon sticks
5 star anise
1 tsp cloves
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 black cardamom pod
1 tsp black peppercorns
2 medium yellow onions, peeled
2 thumbsized ginger, peeled
2kg beef bones (knuckle and marrow) or 6 big chunks oxtail
3 litres cold water
1-2 fillet steak (you'll get 3 servings per steak)
2-3 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice (about half a large lime)
1 tbsp granulated sugar (more if you like it sweetish; I don't)
1 tbsp sea salt
1 packet flat rice noodles

Condiments
a bunch of spring onions, chopped
1 cup Thai basil or Italian basil leaves, shredded if too big
1 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 cup Vietnamese mint or regular mint leaves
a bag of beansprouts
2-3 birds eye chillies or 2 large red chillies, chopped
1 lime, cut into six wedges
Oyster sauce or Hoisin sauce (opt)
Sriracha or hot sauce of your choice (opt)

You may also need:
A large stock pot
Cheesecloth/muslin (the latter can easily be found at the baby section of Tesco or any large supermarket, sold in a pack of 4s)



Method
1. Toast the spices in a hot pan until fragrant. Crush them lightly. Put into a small muslin/cheesecloth and tie up with a string. Set aside.
2. Halve the onions. Using a tong, char the onions on an open flame. If you haven't got a gas hob, use the grill. Do the same with the ginger, and give it a good bash after charring. Transfer them into a large stock pot.
3. Add the beef bones, spice bag and water into the pot and turn the heat on high. As soon as it boils, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer very gently. Regularly skim away the impurities and scums that floats at the top of the pot. Once cleared after about 30-45 minutes, continue to simmer, untouched, for a further 4 hours. 6 hours if you have a whole day to spare; the longer the better. The liquid should reduce by more or less a third. Turn the heat off and set aside to cool. I'd leave it overnight, it'll just taste better, but it's OK if you don't.
4. Strain the beef stock through a piece of cheesecloth/muslin on a fine mesh sieve into a pot big enough to fill in all the liquid. Discard the bones and spices. If using oxtail, pick and reserve the meat from the bones; this can later be added in as condiment for extra beefiness.
5. Bring the soup to boil. Add in fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper, fish sauce and lime juice if necessary. It should have a slight strong taste that will mellow once assembled with noodles and condiments. Keep it on a rolling boil.
6. Get a pan out and heat on high. Sear the fillet steak about 30 second on each side, just enough to colour the meat. Set aside to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing them thinly.
7. Prepare the noodles as instructed on packet. Drain well.
8. Divide the noodles into bowls, top with sliced beef; about 4-5 slices per serving. Ladle in the hot soup (this will immediately cook the beef), top with a handful of beansprouts, sprinkle spring onions, basil, coriander, mint and chilli. If using, a dash of oyster/hoisin sauce (for extra depth of flavour/sweetness) and Sriracha (for extra kick). Serve at once with lime wedges to squeeze.







Enjoy!