Pho is one of our favourite comfort foods. It's delicious and satisfying, yet relatively light and healthy. We had it regularly while we were in Hong Kong. So naturally, one of the first things we did when we arrived here was to search for a good bowl of pho. Unfortunately, nothing was close to authentic. The broths lacked depth and complexity...the aroma, the beefiness, the richness! I managed to get some organic beef bones (not usually available in butcher shops) and beef brisket earlier, and dried rice noodles as well. I was ready to make my own authentic pho!
Ingredients：
Broth
1 large onion (halved)
75 g ginger (sliced)
5 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cardamon pods
2 cloves
1 tbsp coriander seeds
1 1/2 lb beef brisket
2 lb beef bones
7 1/2 cup water
1 tbsp white sugar
1/2 tbsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce
To assemble
50g dried rice noodles
cooked brisket slices
raw beef tenderloin slices (optional)
a handful of thinly sliced onion, bean sprouts, Thai basil & mint
1 lime wedge
bird's eye chilli (thinly sliced, optional)
Steps：
Broth
1. Heat a non-stick pan over high heat without oil until very hot (or you can see smoke coming out).
2. Put onion and ginger into the pan. Cook for a few minutes until it's charred, then flip. Remove and set aside.
3. Toast star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamon pods, cloves and coriander seeds lightly in a dry pan over medium high heat for 3 - 5 minutes. Remove and set aside.
4. Rinse bones and brisket. Cover with cold water in a large stock pot. Cook over high heat until boils. Then drain, rinse and set aside for later use.
5. Bring 2 litres of water to boil. Add bones, brisket, onion, ginger, spices, sugar and salt. The water should just barely cover everything. Adjust the amount, if necessary.
6. Turn the heat down and simmer with lid on for at least 3 hours.
7. After the first hour of simmering, remove the brisket. It should be tender and almost fall apart. Cool, then refrigerate for later use as a topping.
8. After 3 hours (or more), strain the broth into another pot.
9. Add fish sauce. Adjust salt and sugar if needed. Now it's ready for use.
to assemble
1. Cook rice noodles according to instructions on the package.
2. Place noodles into a bowl. Top with sliced brisket and raw beef (optional).
3. Ladle over hot broth. Serve with sliced onion, bean sprouts, Thai basil, mint, lime wedge and chilli on the side. Enjoy ASAP!
DO NOT skip the step of charring the spices. It makes a huge difference!
Comments