Pho Bo Hanoi Beef Soup Food

AUTHENTIC VIETNAMESE BEEF PHO (PHO BO) RECIPE

Steps:

• Place the beef bones and the oxtail in a large stockpot. Add the water. The bones should be completely covered with water. If not, add more. Bring to a boil and let the the bones boil while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.
• Cut two peeled onions in half. Char each half by holding it with tongs over open flame of a gas stove or place it under the broiler. This will bring out the aroma and deepen the flavor of the broth. Repeat the same with the ginger and set aside.
• In a small skillet, lightly toast, frequently stirring, the anise pods. cloves, peppercorns, and garlic for about 5 minutes, or until fragrant. Set aside to cool.
• Check on the boiling bones in the stockpot and skim off any scum that has accumulated.
• Add the toasted spices and garlic, charred onion and ginger, daikon, cinnamon stick, and shallots to the stock. Boil for 15 minutes, then bring down to a gentle simmer.
• Add the rock sugar (optional), fish sauce, salt, and stir well. Continue to simmer for 2½ hours, uncovered, periodically skimming off any scum or fat as they accumulate. The broth will be ready to eat after 2 1/2 hours, but the longer you simmer the better it will become. Continue simmering, covered, for up to 10-12 hours in total for the ultimate pho bo.
• When the broth is done cooking, remove the pot from the heat and set aside to cool a little. Remove the bones and oxtails and set aside. You can use the meat and the bone marrow in the soup. Strain the broth through a fine mesh strainer into a new stockpot. The broth should be richly colored but clear. Bring the broth back to gentle simmer.
• Fill a large pot with hot tap water. Soak the rice noodles in the water for about 10 minutes. They should soften just slightly: the hot pho broth will cook them the rest of the way.
• Drain the noodles and place them in six individual soup bowls. Arrange the sliced raw beef on top, followed by thinly sliced onions and scallions.
• Slice the oxtail meat and add it to the bowl as well as any of the bits of meat and bone marrow taken from the bones.
• Pour the boiling hot broth into the soup bowls, making sure it covers the raw beef. The broth will cook the beef as well as the noodles. Give it a few minutes to do so, then serve with the pho garnish platter. A squeeze or two of lime juice will help cut the richness of the broth. The sauces can be added to the pho bo or used as a dipping sauce for beef. Using them as a dipping sauce will prevent from spoiling the wonderful flavor of the broth.

PHO BO (VIETNAMESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• Wrap ginger, anise, shallots and cinnamon in two layers of cheesecloth; tie with heavy cotton string.
• In a 10 qt pan, combine beef chuck, broth, 2 1/2 qts water, nouc mam sauce, sugar and spice bundle. Cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover, reduce heat and simmer until beef is tender when pierced (1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours).
• With a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a freezer container and freeze overnight. Cool soup and then refridgerate overnight.
• The next day, take frozen beef chuck and thinly slice across the grain into 2 to 3 inch slices.
• Skim and discard fat from broth. Add 1/8 tsp salt and 2 tbsp Nouc Mam sauce. Bring broth back to boil.
• Arrange bean sprouts, chiles, basil, cilantro, and limes on a platter.
• Once broth boils, reduce to simmer. Immerse sliced sirloin in simmering broth (use wire strainer or skimmer) and cook just until brown on the outside but still pink in the center (30 seconds to 1 min). Lift out and set aside.
• Mound hot cooked rice noodles equally in deep bowls (at least 3 cup capacity). Top equally with beef chuck, sirloin, yellow onion and green onions.
• Ladle broth over noodles to cover generously.
• Serve Pho Bo with platter of condiments, hoisin sauce and chili paste adding to taste.

HANOI BEEF AND RICE NOODLE SOUP (PHO BO)

Steps:

• To prepare broth, heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add oxtail, ginger, and shallots; sauté 8 minutes or until ginger and shallots are slightly charred.
• Add water and next 8 ingredients (through cinnamon stick); bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 4 hours. Strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids.
• Return broth to pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook until reduced to 10 cups (about 30 minutes).
• Skim fat from surface; discard fat. Keep warm.
• To prepare remaining ingredients, add sliced onion to broth. Place noodles in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water.
• Let stand 20 minutes. Drain. Place 1/3 cup bean sprouts in each of 6 soup bowls.
• Top each serving with 1 1/3 cup noodles and 2 ounces eye-of-round.
• Carefully ladle 1 2/3 cups boiling broth over each serving (boiling broth will cook the meat). Serve with cilantro, basil, chiles, limes, and hoisin, if desired.

PHO BO (HANOI BEEF SOUP)

Steps:

• Place the vermicelli in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Allow to soak until pliable, about 30 minutes. Drain.
• Place the stock in a large pan and bring it to a boil. Have either 4 very large or 6 slightly smaller individual soup bowls ready. Put a handful of vermicelli into a strainer that will fit in the pan and dip the strainer into the hot stock. Swirl the vermicelli until tender but still a little chewy, about 20 seconds. Shake the vermicelli dry and place it in a soup bowl. Repeat with the remaining noodles.
• Divide the beef, sprouts, cilantro, basil and scallions among the bowls. Ladle the hot stock into the bowls and squeeze a lime wedge over each. Serve with the chilies, fish sauce and black pepper on the side.

VIETNAMESE BEEF AND RICE NOODLE SOUP (PHO)

Steps:

• Place the oxtails in a large stockpot and add the water.
• Bring the water to a full boil, then reduce heat and bring water to a simmer.
• Scrape any scum off the top of the water and discard.
• Cut the onion in half and peel off the outer portion.
• Place on a baking sheet along with the ginger and broil in the over about 20 minutes, making sure not to blacken it.
• Turn over halfway through.
• Allow to cool.
• Place the star anise, cloves, cinnamon, and fennel seeds in a piece of cheesecloth and tie it shut with twine.
• Add the spice pack, onion halves, ginger, bay leaves, salt, and fish sauce to the broth.
• Allow the broth to simmer at least 5-6 hours (to your taste) uncovered.
• Remove the spice pack, onions, ginger, and bay leaves and discard.
• Remove the oxtails and set them aside.
• When cool enough to handle, remove the meat and trim of any remaining fat.
• Set the meat aside and return the bones to the broth.
• Allow the broth to simmer another hour or two until you achieve the desired taste then remove the bones.
• You may adjust the salt, but you don't want it too salty.
• Soak the rice noodles in COLD water 15-20 minutes, while starting a large pot of water boiling.
• While the noodles are soaking, place the cilantro, basil leaves, mint leaves, sliced onions, sliced scallions, and bean sprouts on a serving platter.
• After the noodles have soaked, place them in the boiling water and allow to cook until tender, but don't let them get mushy.
• It should only take a couple minutes.
• Rinse the noodles in cold water if not serving immediately.
• When ready to eat (you can do this earlier, like when you're boiling the water for the noodles) return the broth to a rolling boil.
• Place the noodles in a serving bowl and arrange the sliced meat (leftover oxtail meat if desired) over them.
• Ladle the boiling broth over the noodles and beef, making sure to cover the meat.
• Serve and allow each person to place the desired amount of garnish from the platter, hoisin sauce, and sriracha in their own bowl to taste.

FAUX PHO BO (VIETNAMESE BEEF NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• In a 6 quart stockpot, combine broth, onion, ginger, lemongrass, cinnamon, and peppercorns (tie the seasonings loosely in cheesecloth for easier removal). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, prepare rice noodles and garnishes.
• Arrange bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, chilies, and limes on a large platter.
• To prepare rice noodles, bring 4-6 quarts of water to a boil. Add rice noodles and stir to separate. Cook until just barely tender, about 2-3 minutes. Drain well. If not quite ready to serve, rinse noodles and drain again.
• To serve, remove seasonings (except onions) from broth; keep broth hot.
• Place ½ cup rice noodles in each of 6 large, deep bowls.
• Arrange thinly sliced beef over noodles, fanning out to increase surface area. Ladle very hot broth over beef and stir to cook.
• Serve immediately. Pass garnish platter, hoisin sauce, fish sauce, and sambal oelek or sriracha sauce for people to add as desired.

PHO BO (VIETNAMESE BEEF-AND-NOODLE SOUP)

Steps:

• Soak rice noodles in hot water to cover.
• Meanwhile, combine stock, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, onion and cloves in saucepan; turn heat to high. When mixture boils, turn heat to low, and cover. Let cook, undisturbed, for 20 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how much time you have (the longer the cooking, the deeper the flavor). Strain, and return to saucepan; turn heat to medium.
• Bring pot of water to boil. Drain noodles, add them to pot, and boil for 30 seconds; drain well. Warm 4 large bowls by filling them with hot water; discard water. Divide noodles among bowls.
• Turn heat under soup to medium, and add beef; stir once, and then turn off heat. (The meat is traditionally left rare; if you want to cook it more, go ahead, but these slices will cook through in less than 2 minutes.) Add fish sauce or soy sauce and plenty of pepper to the soup. Taste, and add salt or more seasoning, if necessary.
• Top noodles with broth and meat, and then bring to the table. Serve, passing lime wedges, scallions, chilies and herbs at the table, so that everyone can add them to taste.