Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup - Pho Recipe

Pho has to be the quintessential Vietnamese dish. Every household has it's own version and of course everyone claims their mums' is the best. But why is it that there's so much variation in the quality of pho? Well, there are many 'secrets' to making the ultimate pho broth and each restuarant has their own little extra something. I've heard some interesting stories about the pho in Vietnam. My parents claim the top restaurants use a special type of dried seafood which can only be found in Vietnam waters. They're not sure what this seafood is, and even then, it's only a rumour. How well guarded! If I ever go back to Vietnam, I'll definitely try to weed this information out.

What makes this particular pho recipe so good is because of the quality of the ingredients, quantities and grilling of the stock vegetables and spices. When I make this at home, I don't skimp out on the amount of bones and I also buy the soup bones from Woolworths. I find the bones have more meat than from your butchers and the bones are well trimmed of excess fat. As for the spices, I don't buy the premade bouquet garnis but instead buy each spice individually so I can control the amount of each spice.

This may seem like a daunting recipe with so many ingredients but it's actually dead easy to make and tastes much better than restaurant ones (and minus the msg too). This recipe was adapted partly from my parents recipe and from Luke Nguyen. 

Final Bowl - Beef Noodle Soup with beef balls

Ingredients
1.5-2kg beef soup bones (Woolworths)
4 oxtails
1kg bone marrow 
1kg beef brisket
300-400g thinly sliced sirloin beef (I usually buy this pre-sliced from the butchers)
10cm piece of unpeeled ginger
1/2 bulb of garlic unpeeled
6 french onions/Asian shallots
100g rock sugar
1 tablespoon salt
7 tablespoon fish sauce
2 x 1kg bag of fresh rice noodles
2 packets of Beef balls (Bo Vien) - optional

Spices
14 cloves
8 star anise
3 large cassia bark
4 Vietnamese cardamom pods  

To garnish
1 x brown onion, very thinly sliced
3 x spring onions finely chopped
1/2 bunch coriander finely chopped

To serve
Plate of bean sprouts, lemon wedges, fresh chillies, Vietnamese basil and sawtooth herb
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha Chilli Sauce 

Method 

1. In an extra large soup pot (I use a 22L stock pot), add the beef bones and marrow and fill up with cold water. Bring to the boil and then quickly pour out the water and wash the bones with running water. This will draw out any 'dirty' bits from the bone. Fill the pot up again with water about 3/4 full, cover on high heat and bring to the boil.
2. In the mean time, using a charcoal grill or open flame, grill the ginger, garlic and shallots until the entire outside layer is burnt. Then allow it to cool before peeling off all the burnt skin. The vegetables should now have a more developed and earthy smell. Add to the pot.
3. Using a pan on medium to high heat, dry fry the spices until it's fragrant. Add the spices directly into the pot along with the salt, rock sugar and fish sauce. Cover and wait until it boils.
4. When the pot has come to a boil, bring the heat to the lowest setting and let it simmer. Skim off any fat or debris from the top using a large thin spoon. I usually soak the spoon again in a bowl of clean water before scooping more residue out. This will ensure a clean clear broth. 
5. Let the soup simmer for a further 6-7hours. Check on the soup every hour or so, skimming off any residue as you go. At the 4-5hour mark, add in the oxtail. I usually boil it again in a separate pot and wash it out as I did in step 1 before putting in the main pot.
6. In the last hour of cooking, add in the beef brisket. It will only need 30-40minutes cooking time. Take it out once it's cooked through and let it rest until cooled. Then thinly slice the brisket and set aside.
7. Remove the solids from the pot using tongs or if you are really keen, drain the soup out. Taste the soup one last time and adjust as necessary. I always have to adjust so do not stick to my given quantities. Usually I end up adding more fish sauce or salt. Bring the soup back to the boil and add in the beef balls if you are having it. Make sure the soup gets to a rapid boil.
8. Set up the serving bowls: Divide the noodles into individual bowls and microwave each one for 40-50seconds until soft. Arrange the thinly sliced rare sirloin, sliced brisket and beef balls on top of the noodles. Using a large ladle, pour the boiling soup into the bowl. Top the bowls with a few pieces of sliced onions, and a teaspoon of mixed coriander and spring onions. Serve with the plate of herbs and a dipping plate of chilli sauce and hoisin sauce.

Serves approx 10