Vietnamese Beef Pho

by STEPHANIE on FEBRUARY 28, 2012 0 COMMENTS AND 0 REA CTIONS

Pho (pronounced fuhrhymes with duh) is a Vietnamese beef and noodle soup. The raw meat is cut really really thin and is cooked when boiling broth is poured on top. I dont know where to get kosher Vietnamese food, so I had to make it myself.

Of course, Id heard about pho, but the first time I decided I wanted to try it was during lunch at work one Thursday. Every day, unless Im too busy, I get together with some coworkers to eat lunch in our office kitchen. We mostly bring our own lunches, and one of my coworkers brought Trader Joes phojust add water and microwave. Now, I love Trader Joes a lot, especially for their kosher selection, but I knew they definitely didnt have kosher pho, so I went ahead and put it on my menu for the following week. This was also a good excuse to check out the new butcher on the Upper East Side, Prime Butcher Baker (you may have seen my photographs on Facebook). At first, I thought Id make the beef stock myself, too, but since my freezer is filled to the brim and I was only cooking for two AND the butcher had beef stock. Now, if someone could just teach me how to eat noodle soups without making a mess, Id appreciate it. Do you use a spoon? A fork? A knife

Pho Serves 2 Ingredients:

4 cups beef broth (I used butcher-bought, buy you can make your own if you have time/are feeling less lazy and more adventurous) 2-3 whole cloves 2-3 star anise pods 1 cinnamon stick Some ginger (I keep grated fresh ginger in my freezer and when I need to use it I just break a piece off. Its hard to measure it, but it was probably equal to a few thin slices from a fresh root)

A pinch of black peppercorns 1/2 lb rice noodles Peanut oil 4 shallots, sliced 1/4 pound very very thinly sliced beef (mine said fillet. Thats what the butcher recommended. He also sliced it really thin for me), cut into strips A pinch of red pepper flakes Small bunches of mint, cilantro and Thai basil (or regular basil if you cant find Thai) Bunch of bean sprouts Lime quarters Sriracha sauce Directions:

1. Heat the stock in a pot over medium heat. 2. Gather the cloves, star anise, cinnamon, ginger and peppercorns into a cheesecloth or mesh strainer and add to the broth. Heat to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, until fragrant. Season with salt, if necessary and discard the spices. 3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry the shallots until evenly brown, about 5 minutes. 4. Cook the rice noodles according to the packaging directions. 5. Divide the noodles and meat evenly into the bowls. 6. Bring the broth back to a boil and ladle into the bowls. Top with fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime wedges and sriracha sauce.

Recipe 2
Ingredients

5 pounds beef knuckle, with meat 2 pounds beef oxtail 1 white (daikon) radish, sliced 2 onions, chopped 2 ounces whole star anise pods 1/2 cinnamon stick 2 whole cloves 1 teaspoon black peppercorns 1 slice fresh ginger root 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon fish sauce 1 1/2 pounds dried flat rice noodles 1/2 pound frozen beef sirloin TOPPINGS: sriracha hot pepper sauce hoisin sauce thinly sliced onion chopped fresh cilantro bean sprouts (mung beans) sweet Thai basil thinly sliced green onion limes, quartered

Directions
1. 2.

3.

4.

Place the beef knuckle in a very large (9 quart or more) pot. Season with salt, and fill pot with 2 gallons of water. Bring to a boil, and cook for about 2 hours. Skim fat from the surface of the soup, and add the oxtail, radish and onions. Tie the anise pods, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and ginger in a cheesecloth or place in a spice bag; add to the soup. Stir in sugar, salt and fish sauce. Simmer over medium-low heat for at least 4 more hours (the longer, the better). At the end of cooking, taste, and add salt as needed. Strain broth, and return to the pot to keep at a simmer. Discard spices and bones. Reserve meat from the beef knuckle for other uses if desired. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Soak the rice noodles in water for about 20 minutes, then cook in boiling water until soft, but not mushy, about 5 minutes. Slice the frozen beef paper thin. The meat must be thin enough to cook instantly. Place some noodles into each bowl, and top with a few raw beef slices. Ladle boiling broth over the beef and noodles in the bowl. Serve with hoisin sauce and sriracha sauce on the side. Set onion, cilantro, bean sprouts, basil, green onions, and lime out at the table for individuals to add toppings to their liking.

RECIPE Beef Pho Noodle Soup Pho Bo Makes 8 satisfying (American-sized) bowls For the broth: 2 medium yellow onions (about 1 pound total) 4-inch piece ginger (about 4 ounces) 5-6 pounds beef soup bones (marrow and knuckle bones) 5 star anise (40 star points total) 6 whole cloves 3-inch cinnamon stick 1 pound piece of beef chuck, rump, brisket or cross rib roast, cut into 2-by-4inch pieces (weight after trimming) 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 4 tablespoons fish sauce 1 ounce (1-inch chunk) yellow rock sugar (duong phen; see Note) For the bowls: 1 1/2-2 pounds small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles ("rice sticks'' or Thaichantaboon) 1/2 pound raw eye of round, sirloin, London broil or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain (1/16 inch thick; freeze for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice) 1 medium yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, left to soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water 3 or 4 scallions, green part only, cut into thin rings 1/3 cup chopped cilantro (ngo) Ground black pepper Optional garnishes arranged on a plate and placed at the table: Sprigs of spearmint (hung lui) and Asian/Thai basil (hung que) Leaves of thorny cilantro (ngo gai) Bean sprouts (about 1/2 pound) Red hot chiles (such as Thai bird or dragon), thinly sliced Lime wedges

Prepare the pho broth: Char onion and ginger. Use an open flame on grill or gas stove. Place onions and ginger on cooking grate and let skin burn. (If using stove, turn on exhaust fan and open a window.) After about 15 minutes, they will soften and become sweetly fragrant. Use tongs to occasionally rotate them and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin. You do not have to blacken entire surface, just enough to slightly cook onion and ginger. Let cool. Under warm water, remove charred onion skin; trim and discard blackened parts of root or stem ends. If ginger skin is puckered and blistered, smash ginger with flat side of knife to loosen flesh from skin. Otherwise, use sharp paring knife to remove skin, running ginger under warm water to wash off blackened bits. Set aside. Parboil bones. Place bones in stockpot (minimum 12-quart capacity) and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Boil vigorously 2 to 3 minutes to allow impurities to be released. Dump bones and water into sink and rinse bones with warm water. Quickly scrub stockpot to remove any residue. Return bones to pot. Simmer broth. Add 6 quarts water to pot, bring to boil over high heat, then lower flame to gently simmer. Use ladle to skim any scum that rises to surface. Add remaining broth ingredients and cook, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. Boneless meat should be slightly chewy but not tough. When it is cooked to your liking, remove it and place in bowl of cold water for 10 minutes; this prevents the meat from drying up and turning dark as it cools. Drain the meat; cool, then refrigerate. Allow broth to continue cooking; in total, the broth should simmer 3 hours. Strain the pho broth through fine strainer. If desired, remove any bits of gelatinous tendon from bones to add to your pho bowl. Store tendon with cooked beef. Discard solids. Use ladle to skim as much fat from top of the pho broth as you like. (Cool it and refrigerate it overnight to make this task easier; reheat befofe continuing.) Taste and adjust flavor with additional salt, fish sauce and yellow rock sugar. The pho broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other

ingredients are not salted. (If you've gone too far, add water to dilute.) Makes about 4 quarts. Assemble pho bowls: The key is to be organized and have everything ready to go. Thinly slice cooked meat. For best results, make sure it's cold. Heat the pho broth and ready the noodles. To ensure good timing, reheat broth over medium flame as you're assembling bowls. If you're using dried noodles, cover with hot tap water and soak 15-20 minutes, until softened and opaque white. Drain in colander. For fresh rice noodles, just untangle and briefly rinse in a colander with cold water. Blanch noodles. Fill 3- or 4-quart saucepan with water and bring to boil. For each bowl, use long-handle strainer to blanch a portion of noodles. As soon as noodles have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10-20 seconds), pull strainer from water, letting water drain back into saucepan. Empty noodles into bowls. Noodles should occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of bowl; the latter is for noodle lovers, while the former is for those who prize broth. If desired, after blanching noodles, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds in same saucepan. They should slightly wilt but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnish plate. Add other ingredients. Place slices of cooked meat, raw meat and tendon (if using) atop noodles. (If your cooked meat is not at room temperature, blanch slices for few seconds in hot water from above.) Garnish with onion, scallion and chopped cilantro. Finish with black pepper. Ladle in broth and serve. Bring broth to rolling boil. Check seasoning. Ladle broth into each bowl, distributing hot liquid evenly so as to cook raw beef and warm other ingredients. Serve your pho with with the garnish plate. Note: Yellow rock sugar (a.k.a. lump sugar) is sold in one-pound boxes at Chinese and Southeast Asian markets. Break up large chunks with hammer. Variations: If you want to replicate the splendorous options available at pho shops, head to the butcher counter at a Vietnamese or Chinese market. There you'll find white cords of gan(beef tendon) and thin pieces of nam (outside flank, not flank steak). While tendon requires no preparation prior to cooking,

nam should be rolled and tied with string for easy handling. Simmer it and the beef tendon in the cooking broth for two hours, or until chewy-tender. Airy book tripe (sach) is already cooked when you buy it. Before using, wash and gently squeeze it dry. Slice it thinly to make fringe-like pieces to be added to the bowl during assembly. For beef meatballs (bo vien), purchase them in Asian markets in the refrigerator case; they are already precooked. Slice each one in half and drop into broth to heat through. When you're ready to serve, ladle them out with the broth to top each bowl.

Ha Guthries Pho: Beef Soup with Cinnamon and Star Anise Ingredients for soup: 4 pounds beef bones 1 package oxtails (about 8 pieces) 1 whole medium onion, unpeeled 1 3-inch piece of fresh ginger, unpeeled 1 cup cilantro stems, bottom 4 inches 1 4-inch piece of daikon, unpeeled and in one chunk 2-1/2 pounds chuck roast, in one piece 10 whole star anise 1 cinnamon stick, 5 inches 2 tablespoons nuoc mam, or Vietnamese fish sauce (see note) 1 tablespoon salt 1 tablespoon sugar 16 ounces rice stick noodles (see note) 1-1/2 pounds eye round roast, thinly sliced Ingredients for garnish: 1/2 onion, thinly sliced 3 scallions, green part only, sliced cilantro tops, finely chopped 1 small bunch basil 1 small bunch mint 1-1/2 cups bean sprouts 1 or 2 fresh jalapenos, thinly sliced hoisin sauce sriracha sauce (see note) limes, cut in half, 1 per person Method: 1. Place beef bones in a large stock pot with cold water to cover and soak for 2 or more hours. Drain, cover with fresh cold water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and drain. Rinse off bones. Clean the pot and return the bones to the pot. Cover with 20 cups of cold water and bring to a boil. Add the oxtails and return to a boil. Skim the impurities from the surface and simmer over medium-low heat, partly covered, for 3 hours. 2. While the stock is simmering, char the onion in the flame of the gas burner. Char the ginger and cut in half. 3. After the beef bones and oxtails have simmered for 3 to 4 hours, add the charred onion, ginger, cilantro stems, daikon and chuck roast to the pot. Simmer for one hour. Remove from the heat and strain into another pot. Reserve the chuck roast. 4. One hour before serving: Return the stock to a simmer and add the star anise and cinnamon to the pot. Place the noodles in another large pot, cover with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook until soft. Drain and set aside. 5. Thirty minutes before serving: Add the fish sauce, salt and sugar to the simmering stock. 6. While the stock is simmering, thinly slice the chuck roast and set aside. Thinly slice the raw eye round and set aside. Prepare a plate of garnishes for each person: sliced onion and green tops of scallions, a few stems of basil and mint, bean sprouts, slices of jalapeno, a half lime, a mound of rice noodles, and several slices of chuck roast. 7. To serve, place a few slices of raw eye round in each bowl and top with the hot stock. The stock will partly cook the eye round, but it should remain medium rare. Serve each person with a plate of garnishes and dishes of hoisin and sriracha sauce. Note: Nuoc mam, sriracha sauce (made of fiery red chilies) and rice stick noodles can be found at Asian markets. Nam pla, or Thai fish sauce, may be substituted for nuoc mam.

Chicken Pho Recipe (Ph G ) While beef ph may be the version that most people know and like, chicken ph is also excellent. In recent years, there has been a renewed interest in ph g(pronounced "Fuh Gah")within the Vietnamese American community, and a handful of restaurants are specializing in the delicate noodle soup. Some of them use free-rangeg chy or g i b (literally jogging chicken or walking chicken), yielding bowls full of meat that has a flavor and texture reminiscent of traditionally raised chickens in Vietnam. If you want to create great chicken ph yourself, take a cue from the pros and start with quality birds. If you have never made ph, this recipe is ideal for learning the basics. It calls for fewer ingredients than other ph recipes, so you can focus on charring the onion and ginger to accentuate their sweetness, making a clear broth, and assembling steamy hot, delicious bowls. While some cooks flavor chicken ph broth with the same spices they use for beef ph, my family prefers using coriander seeds and cilantro to distinguish the two. To compare chicken with beef ph, see my beef pho noodle soup recipe. Serves 8 Broth 2 yellow onions, about 1 pound total, unpeeled Chubby 4-inch section fresh ginger, unpeeled 1 chicken, 4 pounds, excess fat and tail removed 3 pounds chicken backs, necks, or other bony chicken parts 5 quarts water 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1-inch chunk rock sugar* (about 1 ounce) 2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted in a dry skillet for about 1 minute until fragrant 4 whole cloves 1 small or 1/2 large bunch cilantro (bound stems about 1 inch in diameter) Bowls 1 1/22 pounds small flat rice noodles (bnh ph), dried or fresh

Cooked chicken, at room temperature 1 yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, soaked in cold water for 30 minutes and drained 3 or 4 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro, leafy tops only Black pepper Optional garnishes 3 cups bean sprouts (about 1/2 pound) 10 to 12 sprigs mint (hng) 10 to 12 sprigs Thai basil* (hng qu) 12 to 15 fresh culantro* (ng gai) leaves 2 or 3 Thai or serrano chiles, thinly sliced 2 or 3 limes, cut into wedges Make the pho broth

1. Place the onions and ginger directly on the cooking grate of a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill (as pictured, to the right) or a gas stove with a medium flame, or on a medium-hot burner of an electric stove. Let the skin burn (if youre working indoors, turn on the exhaust fan and open a window), using tongs to rotate onion and ginger occasionally and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin. After 15 minutes, the onions and ginger will have softened slightly and become sweetly fragrant. There may even be some bubbling. You do not have to blacken the entire surface. When amply charred, remove from the heat and let cool.

2. Rinse the cooled onions under warm running water, rubbing off the charred skin. Trim off and discard the blackened root and stem ends. Use a vegetable peeler, paring knife, or the edge of a teaspoon to

remove the ginger skin. Hold it under warm water to wash off any blackened bits. Halve the ginger lengthwise and bruise lightly with the broad side of a cleaver or chefs knife. Set the onions and ginger aside. 3. Rinse the chicken under cool water. Detach each wing by bending it back and cutting it off at the shoulder joint. Add the wings and neck, if included, to the chicken parts. If the heart, gizzard, and liver have been included, discard them or save for another use. (Some cooks like to simmer the heart and gizzard in water and slice them for adding to the noodle bowls.) Set the wingless chicken aside. 4. Remove and discard any loose pieces of fat from the chicken parts. Wielding a heavy cleaver designed for chopping bones, whack the bones to break them partway or all the way through, making the cuts at 1- to 2-inch intervals, depending on the size of the part. This exposes the marrow, which enriches the broth. 5. To achieve a clear broth, you must first parboil and rinse the chicken parts. Put them in a stockpot (about 12-quart capacity) and add cold water just to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and boil vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes to release the impurities. Dump the chicken parts and water into the sink (make sure it is clean), and then rinse the parts with water to wash off any clinging residue. Quickly scrub the stockpot clean and return the chicken parts to the pot. Put the chicken into the pot, breast side up. 6. Pour in the water and snuggle the chicken in between the parts so that it is covered with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and then lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Use a ladle or large, shallow spoon to skim off any scum that rises to the top. Add the onions, ginger, salt, fish sauce, rock sugar, coriander seeds, cloves, and cilantro and cook, uncovered, for 25 minutes, adjusting the heat if needed to maintain a gentle simmer. At this point, the chicken is cooked; its flesh should feel firm yet still yield a bit to the touch. Use a pair of tongs to grab the chicken and transfer it to a large bowl. Flush the chicken with cold water and drain well, then it set aside for 15 to 20 minutes until it is cool enough to handle. Meanwhile, keep the broth at a steady simmer.

7. When chicken can be handled, use a knife to remove each breast half and the whole legs (thigh and drumstick). Dont cut these pieces further, or theyll lose their succulence. Set aside on a plate to cool completely, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate; bring to room temperature before assembling the bowls. 8. Return the leftover carcass to the stockpot and adjust the heat to simmer the broth gently for another 11/2 hours. Avoid a hard boil, or the broth will turn cloudy. 9. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve (or a coarse-mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth) positioned over a pot. Discard the solids. Use a ladle to skim as much fat from the top of the broth as you like. (To make this task easier, you can cool the broth, refrigerate overnight, lift off the solidified fat, and then reheat before continuing.) Taste and adjust the flavor with additional salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. There should be about 4 quarts (16 cups) broth. Assemble the pho bowls 10. If using dried noodles, cover them with hot tap water and let soak for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are pliable and opaque. Drain in a colander. If using fresh rice noodles, untangle them, place in a colander, and rinse briefly under cold running water. 11. Cut the cooked chicken into slices about 1/4 inch thick, cutting the meat off the bone as necessary. If you dont want to eat the skin, discard it first. Set the chicken aside. Ready the yellow onion, scallions, cilantro, and pepper for adding to the bowls. Arrange the garnishes on a plate and put on the table. 12. To ensure good timing, bring the broth to a simmer over medium heat as you are assembling the bowls. (For an extra treat, drop in any unused white scallion sections and let them poach in the broth. Add the poached white scallion sections (called hnh chn) to a few lucky bowls when ladling out the broth.) At the same time, fill a large pot with water and bring to a rolling boil. For each bowl, place a portion of the noodles on a vertical-handle strainer (or mesh sieve) and dunk the noodles in the boiling water. As soon as they have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10 to 20 seconds), pull the strainer from the water, letting the water drain back into the pot. Empty the noodles into a bowl.

If you like, once you have finished blanching the noodles, you can blanch the bean sprouts for 30 seconds. They should wilt slightly but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnishes. 13. Top each bowl of noodles with chicken, arranging the slices flat. Place a mound of yellow onion in the center and then shower some scallion and cilantro on top. Finish with a sprinkle of pepper. 14. Raise the heat and bring the broth to a rolling boil. Do a final tasting and make any last-minute flavor adjustments. Ladle about 2 cups broth into each bowl, distributing the hot liquid evenly to warm all the ingredients. Serve immediately with the garnishes.

Ingredients
For the broth: 4 pounds Oxtails; cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces and trimmed of fat 3-inch piece of ginger, unpeeled 1 large onion, halved and unpeeled 1/3 cup nuoc mam (fish sauce) 8 whole star anise 5 whole cloves 3-inch cinnamon stick 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 3 bay leaves For the garnish: 1 pound 1/4-inch rice noodles 2 bunches scallions, sliced thin 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped 1/2 cup parsley, roughly chopped 1/2 cup basil, approximately, whole fresh plants (minus roots) if possible 1 1/2 cups mung bean sprouts 3 large limes, cut into wedges and seeds removed Red chile paste or sliced fresh hot chilies (optional) 3/4 pounds filet mignon, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin

Directions

Put the oxtails into a large stockpot and add enough water to cover the bones by 4 inches (about 2 gallons). Bring to a full boil and then lower the heat to a rapid simmer. Skim the scum that rises to the surface. Meanwhile put the ginger and onion halves on a baking sheet and char them under the broiler until lightlyblackened, 10 to 15 minutes. Turn them over halfway through cooking. When cool enough to handle, rinse the onion and ginger under running water, using a knife to scrape away some of the charred surface. Cut the ginger into 3 pieces and toss it and the onion halves into the simmering broth, along with 1 tablespoon salt and the fish sauce. Put the star anise, cloves, and cinnamon stick in a small skillet and toast them on top of a stove burner over medium heat. Turn the spices a couple of times until they're slightly darkened (3 to 4 minutes) and until you smell their aroma. Put the toasted spices and fennel seeds in a small square of double thickcheesecloth and tie the bundle with a long piece of kitchen twine. Add the spice bundle and the bay leaves to the broth, tying the end of the twine to the pot handle for easy retrieval.

Let the broth simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally. After 4 hours, remove the spice bundle, onion,bay leaves and ginger from the pot and discard. Remove the oxtails from the pot and set aside. Let thebroth continue to simmer. When the meat is cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bones. Set the meat aside and return the bones to the broth. Continue simmering, uncovered, until the broth is rich and flavorful, about 1 hour. Taste the broth and add more salt or fish sauce as needed. Meanwhile, soak the rice noodles in cold water for at least 20 minutes. Arrange the sliced scallions,cilantro, parsley, basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chiles on a platter in separate piles. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the drained rice noodles. Give the noodles a quick stir and cook until tender but firm, about 1 minute. Rice noodles can quickly become gummy, so don't let them overcook. Drain the noodles. Warm 6 large bowls by rinsing them with hot water and divide the noodles among the bowls. Just before serving, return the broth to a full boil. Arrange the slices of raw filet and pieces of cookedoxtail meat over the noodles in each bowl. Carefully ladle the boiling broth over all; the raw beef should be submerged in the broth. Serve immediately, along with the platters of garnish