Pho

[jquirit]

Since good ol' Sammy requested it, I'm posting it. It's the recipe I have for pho.

And it's from an actual Vietnamese person.

These are the ingredients for the broth alone. My comments/modifications are bolded and in the ()'s.

2-3 lbs of beef oxtail OR 3-4 lbs of beef knuckle/neck bones w/ meat (I used oxtails, next time I'll try a combination of the two)
2 large yellow onions (I used white)
half a palm sized piece of ginger, peeled
4 whole star anise pods
1/2 tablespoon whole cloves
tablespoon black peppercorns
4 cloves of garlic, smashed
1 cinnamon stick
1 daikon, cut into large chunks (I didn't put any in mine)
3 small shallots (forgot this ingredient, will need to add next time)
1/2 cup rock sugar (used regular granulated)
1 cup fish sauce (used Filipino patis, our fish sauce)

1. Put oxtails/bones into a very large stockpot. Add water to cover bones (in my case, using oxtails I put enough water to cover 3" above the top of the oxtails). Bring to a boil while continuing on.
2. Cut onions in half. Char onions (and garlic) over gas burner, on electric stove element, or under oven broiler. (this step will add depth of flavor to broth). Set aside.
3. In a small skillet, toast the cloves, peppercorns, garlic, and anise until fragrant (about 3-5 minutes). Set aside and cool. Once cool, put spices in cheesecloth or spice bag (I didn't do this, just dumped it right into the broth and strained it out later).
4. Check the stockpot and skim off any scum that has accumilated.
5. Add the spice bag, charred onions, ginger, sugar, fish sauce, cinnamon stick and stir well. Lower heat and simmer.
6. Though the broth will be flavorful after 2.5 hours, continue simmering for as long as you want to (up to 10 hours or so). It will get better with more time.
7. Once the broth is finished cooking, remove stockpot from heat and let cool a bit. Remove all solid from broth. Do not discard the bones; set aside and remove any meat from them. Pour the broth through a fine mesh strainer to remove any scum and fat. Return broth to original pot or use a new pot (I used a new pot). Broth should be clear (mine was pretty dark, tbqh, but not "foggy").

Now the broth is ready to serve. Prepare as usual. Thin sliced beef. Meatballs. Tripe. Tendon. Thai basil. Pickled onions. Bean sprouts. Cilantro. Sliced limes. Banh pho noodles (rice noodles). Pour steaming broth over everything in bowl. Add hoisin and/or hot chili paste to taste. Enjoy.



From my notes, this recipe came out a bit sweeter than I had expected. Next time I'll probably cut back a bit on the sugar, along with trying more bones along with the oxtails. The oxtail meat were so tender after simmering for 8 hours.