Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

It has been cold and rainy lately which meant time for some nice hot noodle soup to warm up the body and soul. I had some beef bones in the freezer that I had been saving for a day like this. Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup was easier to make than I thought. I found a recipe from Steamy Kitchen which was adapted from Andrea Nguyen's "Into the Vietnamese Kitchen". Jaden Hair from Steamy Kitchen claimed that this was the best pho recipe she has made so I decided to give it a try. The soup takes at least 3 hours to slowly cook and release the flavors from the bones so plan ahead!




Pho (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)
Adapted from Steamy Kitchen

Ingredients:
2 onions, halved
4″ nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle containing marrow
1 lb of beef meat – chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices (yes, I took the short cut)
1 1/2 T salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz)
2-16oz pkgs. rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth or beef balls [optional]
1/2 lb flank, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible
Handful of mint, cilantro, basil, bean sprouts
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced or jalapeno peppers
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

Char the onions and ginger: This step is crucial. It helps to bring out the natural sweetness of the onions and ginger to the broth. Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush a little bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each and broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char for about 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water to parboil the bones. Aim for clear broth by getting rid of the residue from the bones. Boil water, then add the bones. Boil on high for 10 minutes, drain, and rinse the bones. Rinse out the pot and refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil then lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil the broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef (optional), sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. If you used beef meat, remove and set aside. I omitted the beef meat and the soup still came out pretty good. Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning – add a little bit of fish sauce, salt and rock sugar if you want a little more flavor to the soup.

Prepare the noodles & meat: Slice your flank/sirloin/eye of round as thin as possible (tip: freeze for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier) or if you prefer, you can buy pre-sliced meat from the market. Cut or shred the beef meat from the broth to eat with your noodles. I added some beef and tendon balls to the soup 1/2 hour before serving. Arrange all other ingredients on a plate for garnish later. Follow the directions on your package of noodles since cooking time varies depending on the type of noodles you buy. Fill bowls with noodles, shredded cooked beef or beef balls and raw meat slices.

Prepare to eat: Bring the broth back to a boil and ladle into each bowl. The hot broth will cook the raw beef slices and warm up the noodles. Serve immediately with garnishes.

Makes about 8 servings.