DaemonGoddess
356 days ago
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Pho is a complicated but beautiful traditional Vietnamese noodle soup that the Vietnamese peoples enjoy morning, noon and night. It is their national dish, and a breakfast favourite. Nowadays it is sometimes made with chicken, for economical reasons, but tradition holds with beef, typically as you asked, thin raw beef slices that are placed in the bowl and covered with boiling hot soup stock, which cooks them gently. Here is one of several recipes for traditional Pho I dug up from my cookbook collection for you:
I give credit now to consulting my "Pleasures of the Vietnamese Table" book, written by Mai Pham.
Ingredients:
5 pounds beef marrow or knuckle bones (you can sub oxtails if you wish)
2 pounds beef chuck, cut into 2 pieces
2 (3 inch) pieces ginger, cut in half, lightly bruised w/side of knife, lightly charred
2 yellow onions, peeled & charred
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 oz rock sugar or 3 TB sugar
10 whole star anise, lightly toasted in a dry pan
6 whole cloves, lightly toasted in dry pan
1 TB sea salt
NOODLE ASSEMBLY ingredients:
1 pound dried thin rice noodle sticke, cooked & drained
1/3 pound beef sirloin, slightly frozen then sliced thinly along grain
GARNISHES:
1/2 yellow onion, sliced paper thin
3 scallions cut in thin rings
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 pound bean sprouts
10 sprigs asian basil
1 dozen saw-leaf herb leaves (optional)
6 thai bird chillies or 1 serrano chili cut in thin rings
1 lime cut in 6 wedges
fresh black pepper
In large pot bring 6 quarts water to boil. Place the beef bones and chuck into a 2nd pot, cover with water and bring that to a boil, boiling vigorously 5 minutes. Carefully transfer using tongs the bones and beef to the pot of boiling water and discard the water in which the meat was cooked. She says this cleans the bones and meat and reduces the impurities that can cloud the broth. When water returns to a boil reduce to a simmer. Skim surface occasionally to remove foam and fat. Add the charred ginger and onions, the fish sauce and sugar. Simmer until the chuck is tender, about 40 min. Remove one piece of it and submerge in cool water ten minutes to prevent meat from darkening and drying out. Drain and cut into thin slices and set aside. Continue cooking the other chunk of chuck in the broth.
When the broth has been simmering for about an hour and a half wrap the star anise and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth or a spice bag and add to broth. Let infuse about 30 minutes (till fragrant). Remove and discard the bag, and the onions. Add the salt and continue to simmer, skimming occasionally, until you are ready to assemble the dish. The broth she says needs to cook for at least 2 hrs. The broth she says will taste salty, but will be balanced when the noodles and accompaniments are added to it. Leave the remaining chuck and bones to simmer in the pot whilst you assemble your bowls.
To serve, place the cooked noodles in the bowls. If they are not hot reheat them in microwave briefly or dip briefly in boiling water. (I remember my mother just rinsing noodles or pasta in very hot tap water in a colander, perhaps you could also try this trick). Place a few slices of the cooked chuck then also a few slices of the raw beef on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil then ladle several cupfuls into each bowl. The broth will now instantly cook the raw beef. Garnish your bowls of soup with yellow onions, scallions and cilantro. Bring to the table and let each diner add bean sprouts, herbs, chillies, lime juice and black pepper. I myself remember eating Pho in America when i lived there and being served both sriracha sauce (a red garlicky spicy condiment you can find in oriental groceries), and hoisin sauce to dress the soup with. I hope this helps you guys out that are Pho fans. If you like, I can also type up her quicker version of Pho she makes with chicken. Good luck!
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