This stuff is good, pho real!

I often enjoy any opportunity to abandon all other responsibilities in order to spend the entire day in the kitchen. The laundry could be piling up. The puppy could be nipping at my heels for playtime. The house could be in complete disarray. Yet the minute I think of a fun cooking project, any chance of getting my to-do list whittled down is completely lost. 

I couldn't remember my last all day cooking adventure, so when Eric said he wanted us to make pho, the traditional way, I jumped at the chance! Although making pho from scratch is time consuming, it's really not that difficult. You may be able to buy a huge bowl of pho from your favorite Vietnamese restaurant for under $10, but who can resist a steaming bowl of fresh pho right from your own kitchen? We can't!

It was all about layering flavors. Beef bones boiled in water created a simple broth to act as the base. Charred onion and ginger added a mellow, sweet flavor. Star anise, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, cloves and cardamom came together to round out that perfect pho taste. 

Jalapenos, limes, bean sprouts, cilantro and basil topped the bowl off and all we could do was sit back, take a deep breath and savor every last drop in each of our bowls.

  

Now it's your turn to try - it'll be photastic!

Vietnamese Pho - Beef Noodle Soup

This recipe is from Jaden Hair over at Steamy Kitchen, she adapted this recipe from 

Into the Vietnamese Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen.

THE BROTH
2 onions, halved
4″ nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat – chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho Spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 whole star anise, 1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (halve if using regular table salt)
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 inch chunk of yellow rock sugar (about 1 oz) – or 1oz of regular sugar

THE BOWLS
2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh)
cooked beef from the broth
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin as possible.
big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha hot sauce

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet. Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer, remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the beef meat and set aside (you’ll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning – this is a crucial step. If the broth’s flavor doesn’t quite shine yet, add 2 teaspoons more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a small nugget of rock sugar (or 1 teaspoon of regular sugar). Keep doing this until the broth tastes perfect.

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible – try freezing for 15 minutes prior to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? Cut or shred the meat and set aside. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will “assemble” their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles – there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second blanch in hot water is all that’s needed. The package that I purchased (above) – needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles, shredded cooked beef and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl. the hot broth will cook your raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.