The Curious Palate

Passport & Plate - Pho’- Vietnamese soup

Vietnam | Thursday, March 5, 2015 | 5 photos

Ingredients
Broth
2 pounds beef chuck, cut in 2
5 pounds beef bones
2 (3-inch) pieces ginger, cut in half
2 yellow onions, peeled and charred
1/4 cup fish sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
10 whole star anise, lightly toasted in a dry pan
6 whole cloves, lightly toasted in a dry pan
1 tablespoon sea salt

NOODLEs
1 pound dried 1/16-inch-wide rice sticks, soaked, cooked
and drained
1/3 pound beef sirloin, slightly frozen, sliced paper-thin across the grain

GARNISHES
1/2 yellow onion, sliced paper-thin
3 scallions, cut into thin rings
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 pound bean sprouts
10 sprigs Asian basil
6 Thai bird chilies or 1 Serrano chili, cut into thin rings
1 lime, cut into 6 thin wedges
Freshly ground black pepper

 

How to prepare this recipe
Method
1. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil. Place bones and beef chuck in a second pot, add water to cover. Bring to a boil and boil vigorously for 5 min. Using tongs, transfer the bones and beef to the first pot of boiling water. Discard the water in which the meat cooked. (For clarity of the broth) When the water returns to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Skim often to remove any foam and fat. Add charred ginger and onions, fish sauce and sugar. Simmer until beef chuck is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove one piece and submerge in cool water for 10 min. Drain, then cut into thin slices and set aside. Let the other piece of beef chuck continue to cook in the simmering broth.

2. After simmering for about 1 1/2 hours, wrap the star anise/cloves in a spice bag (or cheesecloth) add to the broth. Infuse in the broth, about 30 minutes. Remove and discard both the spice bag and onions. Add salt and continue to simmer, skimming as necessary. The broth needs to cook for at least 2 hours. (The broth will taste salty at this point) Leave the remaining chuck and bones to simmer in the pot while you assemble the bowls.

3. To serve, place the cooked noodles in preheated bowls. (If the noodles are not hot, reheat them in a microwave or dip them in boiling water to prevent them from cooling down the soup.) Place a few slices of the beef chuck and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil; ladle about 2 to 3 cups into each bowl. The broth will cook the raw beef instantly. Garnish with yellow onions, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, and garnish the bowls with bean sprouts, herbs, chilies, lime juice and black pepper.

To Char Ginger and Onions: hold with tongs directly over an open flame or place it directly on a medium-hot electric burner. While turning, char until the edges are slightly blackened and the ginger is fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes. Peel and discard the blackened skins of the ginger and onions, then rinse and add to the broth.

 

The story behind this recipe
I had the opportunity to travel and visit Vietnam, and in my industry I have worked with many people that immigrated to Canada from Vietnam. So two years ago I traveled with some friends and did a food tour of the southern part of the country, Ho Chi Minh City down to the Mekong Delta. After a painfully long trip with one of the legs being a15 hour flight from Chicago to Hong Kong. We traveled during the Tet festival, but as soon as we landed and traveled to our downtown hotel, it was amazing what a city of contrasts Ho Chi Minh City is. There would be modern housing and buildings, right next to dilapidated huts and electrical hazard areas that probably were untouched for decades. The traditional and most common form of transportation was scooters; they are everywhere including every direction and part of the road. Our stay was luxurious, as we also had contrasts in where our living space was, where we were in a nice downtown hotel, and then travelled to parts of the jungle and rural areas for most of our days. It was also very interesting with the French influence on this country, as there was Boulanger and bistro's throughout most of the region, and you could see this influence on another national dish Banh Mi (pork and Pate Vietnamese sandwich) we spent our Chinese new year at the top of Bitextco Financial tower, just above the helipad that cantilevers at the 52nd floor of the 68 story building! Tried the Pho in various places, including the Lunch Lady as was profiled on one on Anthony's No Reservation programs, and couldn't get enough of it, weather it was hers or another vendor, it was a daily part of our meals for the entire month we stayed there. We prefaced our trip so we could explore the Vietnamese culture at countryside in and around Ho Chi Minh, and ended off our trip on the east coast resort of Na Trang.