Pho Tai - Vietnamese Soup

It was a miserably cold and windy day in Baltimore when I experienced my first bowl of pho. My husband and I were shopping for furniture when he saw a sign for Pho. I love Thai, Chinese and Japanese so I was game. I was hoping to eat something that would warm my bones. Entering into the restaurant I noticed that almost every table was full and more than half had ordered the soup. I sat down and looked that the menu only to decide that I also was going to try the soup. I finished it and discovered a new love. Pho and I were going to be friends forever!

If you've never had Pho, it’s a wonderfully delicate Vietnamese noodle soup, made from beef bones, ginger, onions and lots of aromatic spices. It’s nothing short of soup perfection. The way all the spices and flavors come together is incredible and the best part? You can customize; it’s encouraged that you add any and all the condiments you desire to make it your own.

The word for soup in Vietnamese is pho and there are many different varieties but the more popular was pho tai. It is a beef soup that is served with thinly sliced pieces of beef. Most restaurants serve it with the beef actually rare. The soup is very hot so once the rare meat is stirred in it cooks the beef. There are many garnishes that come alongside the pho. Along with the beef and rice noodles are bean sprouts, Thai basil, cilantro, lime wedges, Hoisin, and Sriracha.

Making your own fabulous bowl of Vietnamese pho soup at home is not hard, all you need is a straightforward recipe, a few secrets and a nice big stockpot.

We make this at least once a month, always making sure there is leftover broth to freeze for another day. While it takes a bit of time, most of that is hands-off, so let’s get going towards amazing pho at home, shall we?

Ingredients:

For the Broth

4 Pounds of Oxtails

2-3 Pounds of Beef Shank Bones

2 Medium Onions, quartered
4-in Piece of Fresh Ginger, halved lengthwise
2 Cinnamon Sticks
1 Tablespoon Coriander Seeds
1 Tablespoon Fennel Seeds
6 Star Anise

10 Whole Cloves
1 Cardamom Pod
1 Tablespoon of Kosher Salt

1/4 Cup of Fish Sauce

2 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar

To Serve
7 oz. Pho noodles re-hydrated in warm water (for 2-3 people)
1 Semi-Frozen Filet Mignon
Bean Sprouts
Cilantro, chopped

Green Onions, Thinly Sliced

Sweet Onions, Shaved
Jalapeno, Thinly Sliced

Thai basil
Lime Wedges
Hoisin
Sriracha

Directions:

Parboil Bones: Add beef bones to a large pot that will hold at least 10 quarts. Then, cover bones with cold water. Place pot onto high heat and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 to 5 minutes. During this time, impurities and foam (or scum) will be released and rise to the top.
Drain bones, discarding the water. Then, rinse bones with warm water and scrub stockpot to remove any residue that has stuck to the sides. Add the bones back to the stockpot and cover with 6 quarts of cold water.
Char Onion and Ginger: Move an oven rack to a high position then turn broiler to high. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Place quartered onions and halved ginger onto baking sheet then broil for 10 to 15 minutes, turning onions and ginger occasionally so that they become charred or browned on all sides.
Toast Spices: Add cinnamon sticks, cardamom seeds, fennel seeds, star anise, cloves and the black cardamom pod to a dry frying pan. Place onto low heat and cook, stirring occasionally until fragrant. About 5 minutes.
Place toasted spices into a cotton muslin bag/herb sachet or cheesecloth then tie with butchers twine to seal.
Simmer Broth: Bring stockpot with parboiled bones and water to a boil then lower to a gentle simmer. Add charred onion, ginger, the bag or sachet of toasted spices, salt, fish sauce and the brown sugar.
Continue to simmer broth for 3-5 hours. If at any time foam or scum rises to the surface, use a spoon to remove it.
Strain Broth: Use tongs or a wide mesh spoon to remove bones, onion and ginger from broth then strain broth through a fine mesh strainer.
Skim Fat: The broth will have a layer of fat at the the top. There are two ways to remove this. First, if you plan to enjoy the broth now, skim the fat from the top of the broth using a spoon. If you do not mind waiting, you can also pour broth into containers then refrigerate overnight. As the broth cools, the fat will solidify, making it very easy to remove.

Assembling Pho Soup Bowls

Heat Broth: Bring the broth to a boil.
Noodles: If you are using dried noodles follow package directions, set aside. Bring a medium saucepan filled with water to a boil. Place noodles into boiling water and cook for about 2 minutes. . Drain noodles then divide between bowls. (We like to fill each bowl by 1/3 with noodles).
Meat: The secret to cutting meat is to cut across the grain. You want your beef slices as thin as possible, and I always throw the whole chunk of meat in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice thinly.

Fill Bowls: Now, arrange slices of raw meat into bowl. Then top with hot broth. Finish broth with onion slices and cilantro.

Simply Delish!

Happy Eating!