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  • Beef Noodle Soup with Rice Noodles: Pho Bo

Beef Noodle Soup with Rice Noodles: Pho Bo

Recipe courtesy Luke Nguyen
Show: Luke Nguyen's Vietnam Episode: Hanoi

Photo: Beef Noodle Soup with Rice Noodles: Pho Bo

TOTAL TIME: 5 hr 45 min
Prep: 45 min
Inactive Prep: 1 hr 30 min
Cook: 3 hr 30 min
 
YIELD: 8 servings
LEVEL: Intermediate

ingredients

  • 4 pounds, 8 ounces/ 2 kg oxtail*
  • *Cook's Note: Ask your butcher to chop it into 1 1/4-inch/3 cm pieces
  • 4 tablespoons salt
  • 1 unpeeled garlic bulb
  • 4 large unpeeled onions
  • 5 1/4 ounces/150 g unpeeled ginger
  • 4 pounds, 8 ounces/ 2 kg beef brisket
  • 3/4 cup/ 185 ml fish sauce
  • 2 3/4 ounces/80 g rock sugar
  • 3 pounds, 8 ounces/ 1.6 kg fresh rice noodle (you will need about 7 ounces/ 200 g per person)
  • 14 ounces/400 g trimmed sirloin, thinly sliced
  • 4 spring onions ( scallions), sliced freshly ground black pepper
  • Fresh coriander ( cilantro) sprigs
  • 2 bird's eye chiles, sliced
  • 1 lime, cut into wedges
  • Spice pouch
  • 8 cloves
  • 5 star anise
  • 2 cassia bark, about 4-inches /10 cm in length
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 (16-inch/40 cm) square piece muslin cloth
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Directions

In a large pot, submerge the oxtail in cold water, add 3 tablespoons salt and soak for 1 hour, then drain.

To make the spice pouch, dry roast each ingredient separately in a frying pan over medium heat until fragrant.

Cool, then coarsely grind the spice using a mortar and pestle or small spice grinder. Add the ground spices to the muslin square and tie up tightly in a knot. Set aside.

Heat a barbecue grill or chargill pan over medium-high heat and grill the unpeeled garlic, onions and ginger evenly for 15 minutes in total until all sides are blackened.

Now peel the blackened skins and discard them, and then roughly chop. By doing this, the garlic, onion and ginger becomes sweet and fragrant, releasing more flavour into the stock.

Put the oxtail, brisket and 200 fluid ounces/ 6 litres cold water in a stockpot and bring to the boil. While the stock is boiling, constantly skim any impurities off the surface for 15 minutes (this will ensure a clean, clear broth), then reduce the heat to a low simmer.

Add the fish sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon salt, rock sugar, garlic, onions, ginger, and spice pouch.

Cover and simmer for 3 hours, or until the stock has reduced to almost 1/2.
Strain the stock through a muslin cloth. Remove the brisket, set aside to cool, then thinly slice.

Blanch each portion of noodles in boiling water for 20 seconds.

Drain, then transfer to a serving bowl.

Place 3 or 4 slices of brisket on top of the noodles, followed by 3 or 4 pieces of raw sirloin. Pour over the hot stock to cover the noodles and beef.

Serve with 1 tablespoon spring onion, a pinch of black pepper, and a coriander sprig to each bowl.

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  • on July 01, 2012

    Flag

    Pho preparation is a bone of contention amongst hardcore foodies. For me this is a solid contender. The only change I would make is to par-boil the oxtail first for 15 minutes and discard the water afterwards, then proceed. Boiling will *probably* remove some of the flavors but at the same time that nasty 'impurity' containing foam goes with it. Great show, they need to bring it back, and more like it.

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  • on February 11, 2012

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    Love my Vietnamese cuisine. Pho Bo is heavenly delicious. I could eat Pho whole day

    people found this review Helpful.
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  • on June 07, 2011

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    I love the borth

    people found this review Helpful.
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