Recreating Vietnam's National Dish; A Bowl That Keeps You Slurping For More

Who would have thought that a bowl of noodles would be another country's national dish?  Pho is Vietnam's national dish, it comes with a broth loaded with broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat or tofu.

As per Healthline, “Pho is nutritious and is high in protein, but does have high sodium and calories. It may help reduce inflammation and improve joint health.”

Ingredients

For Pho Broth---

• 5 to 6 pounds of beef knuckles or leg bones
• 6 quarts cold water
• 2 onions, quartered
• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 6 whole star anise
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 black cardamom pod
• 1 ½ tablespoons fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 1-inch piece of yellow rock sugar

Assembly---

• 1 pound dried or fresh “banh pho” noodles
• 8 ounces raw eye of round, sirloin, or tri-tip steak, thinly sliced across the grain
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced onions
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
• Optional for the table: fresh mint, Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced green or red chillies, fish sauce, hoisin sauce, sriracha or chilli sauce

Directions

Make the Broth---

• Place beef bones in a stockpot (10-quart or larger). Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat for 3 to 5 minutes. As the bones boil, scum and foam will float to the top. Drain the bones, rinse with warm water, and scrub the stockpot clean. Return bones to the pot and add 6 quarts of cold water.
• Preheat oven broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place onion quarters and halved ginger on the baking sheet and broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally until nicely charred.
• Place cinnamon, coriander, fennel, star anise, cloves, and cardamom pod in a dry frying pan over low heat. Toast for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Transfer the spices to a muslin bag or cheesecloth and seal with twine.
• Bring the stockpot to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Add the charred onions, ginger, spice bag, salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. Gently simmer uncovered for 3 hours, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface.
• Use tongs to remove bones, onions, and ginger. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer. To remove the fat, skim it off with a spoon or refrigerate the broth overnight (the fridge solidifies the fat at the top, which is easy to remove in the morning).

Assembling Pho---

• Place the strained broth into a stockpot and simmer over medium-low heat while you prepare the noodles.
• To prepare the noodles for cooking, place dried pho noodles in a bowl and cover with hot water. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes or until they are soft and opaque. If you have fresh noodles, do not cover them with hot water. Add them to a colander and rinse with cold water.
• Bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook briefly (about 10 seconds) until they soften. Drain the noodles and divide them evenly between serving bowls, filling each bowl about 1/3 of the way.
• Arrange slices of raw meat over the noodles in each bowl. Carefully ladle the very hot broth over the meat, cooking it gently. Top with onion slices and cilantro. Serve with your favourite pho toppings at the table.

(Recipe credit: inspiredtaste.net)