Recipe courtesy of Luke Nguyen
Beef Noodle Soup with Rice Noodles: Pho Bo
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 335
- Total Fat
- 13
- Saturated Fat
- 5
- Carbohydrates
- 35
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 15
- Protein
- 19
- Cholesterol
- 61
- Sodium
- 2281
- Total: 5 hr 45 min
- Prep: 45 min
- Inactive: 1 hr 30 min
- Cook: 3 hr 30 min
Ingredients
4 pounds, 8 ounces/ 2 kg oxtail*
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
Directions
Special equipment:
1 (16-inch/40 cm) square piece muslin cloth- 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.
- At the table, add chile, and a squeeze of lime.
Cook’s Note
*Ask your butcher to chop it into 1 1/4-inch/3 cm pieces