Pho noodle soup is a great comfort food and like most classics it has many recipe variations and history. Some say that "pho' is a Vietnamese corruption of the French feu (fire). The French have a classic boiled beef dinner pot-au-feu, and they did colonize Vietnam in the earlier part of the century .
A perfect candidate for the crock-pot this soup only benefits from slow simmering to infuse the broth with aromatic spices and let the flavors and gelatin from the bones seep into the consomme like broth.
Keys to a great broth include using marrow filled beef "osso bucco like" bones and charring the onion and ginger in the pho broth. The French method of adding roasted onion to pot-au-feu adds an extra rich looking brown colored broth. This use of charred aromatics makes it differ from other Asian noodle soups. Also par boiling the bones and meat help rid the broth of excess fat, which when boiled in stock can make the mouthfeel very greasy.
If you have a Vietnamese market in your area, check the aisles for pre-made spice packs, bones, meatballs, tripe, and they will even shave the beef for the rare steak for you. Also if you have a t-ball strainer (stainless steel mesh like strainer for making tea) these are perfect for putting the spices in to infuse the broth and it is easy to remove once the broth is done.
Pho Bo broth:
- 2 spanish onions (about 1/2 pound each)
- 4-inch piece ginger
- 3 pounds beef soup bones (marrow are best, followed by neck bones and finally knuckle bones)
- 1 whole chicken
- 4 star anise
- 2 cloves nutmeg
- 4-inch piece cinnamon stick
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
- 4 tablespoons fish sauce (optional)
Accompaniments:
- 1 1/2-2 pounds banh pho noodles
- 1/2 pound raw lean beef like eye of round (1/16 inch thick; par-freeze for 15 minutes to facilitate easier slicing), meatballs, tripe, tendeon.
- 1 medium yellow onion, sliced paper-thin, left to soak for 30 minutes in a bowl of cold water
- 1/2 bunch scallion, cut into thin rings
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro and/or mint or thai basil
- 1 cup Bean sprouts
- Sliced jalapeno peppers
- Lime wedges
- To Char the onion and ginger; Use an open flame on grill or gas stove. Place onions and ginger on cooking grate and let skin burn. (If using stove, turn on exhaust fan and open a window.) After about 15 minutes, they will soften and become sweetly fragrant. Use tongs to occasionally rotate them and to grab and discard any flyaway onion skin. You do not have to blacken entire surface, just enough to slightly cook onion and ginger.
- Let cool. Under warm water, remove charred onion skin; trim and discard blackened parts of root or stem ends. If ginger skin is puckered and blistered, smash ginger with flat side of knife to loosen flesh from skin. Otherwise, use sharp paring knife to remove skin, running ginger under warm water to wash off blackened bits. Set aside.
- Pre-cook bones. Place bones and chicken in stockpot and cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring to boil. Boil vigorously 2 to 3 minutes to allow impurities to be released. Dump bones and water into sink and rinse bones with warm water. Quickly scrub stockpot to remove any residue. Return bones to pot.
- Simmer Once Again. Add 6 quarts water to pot, bring to boil over high heat, then lower flame to gently simmer. Use ladle to skim any scum that rises to surface. Add remaining broth ingredients and cook 1 1/2 hours. Boneless meat should be slightly chewy but not tough. When it is cooked to your liking, remove it and place in bowl of cold water for 10 minutes; this prevents the meat from drying up and turning dark as it cools. Drain the meat; cool, then refrigerate. Allow broth to continue cooking; in total, the broth should simmer 3 hours.(Reserve chicken for another use)
- Strain broth through fine strainer. If desired, remove any bits of gelatinous tendon from bones to add to your pho bowl. Store tendon with cooked beef. Discard solids.
- Use ladle to skim as much fat from top of broth as you like. (Cool it and refrigerate it overnight to make this task easier; reheat befofe continuing.) Taste and adjust flavor with additional salt, fish sauce and sugar to taste. The broth should taste slightly too strong because the noodles and other ingredients are not salted. (If you've gone too far, add water to dilute.) Makes 4 quarts
- Heat broth and assemble accompaniments. Reheat broth over medium flame as you're assembling bowls. If you're using dried noodles, cover with hot tap water and soak 15-20 minutes, until softened and opaque white. Drain in colander. For fresh rice noodles, just untangle and briefly rinse in a colander with cold water.
- Blanch noodles. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to boil. For each bowl, use long-handle strainer to blanch a portion of noodles. As soon as noodles have collapsed and lost their stiffness (10-20 seconds), pull strainer from water, letting water drain back into saucepan. Empty noodles into bowls. Noodles should occupy 1/4 to 1/3 of bowl; the latter is for noodle lovers, while the former is for those who prize broth.
- If desired, after blanching noodles, blanch bean sprouts for 30 seconds in same saucepan. They should slightly wilt but retain some crunch. Drain and add to the garnish plate.
- Add other ingredients. Place slices of cooked meat, raw meat and tendon (if using) atop noodles. (If your cooked meat is not at room temperature, blanch slices for few seconds in hot water from above.) Garnish with onion, scallion and chopped cilantro.
- Ladle in broth and serve. Bring broth to rolling boil. Check seasoning. Ladle broth into each bowl, distributing hot liquid evenly so as to cook raw beef and warm other ingredients. Serve with garnish plate.
