Northern Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
INGREDIENTS- 1 kg (2 1/4lbs) beef brisket or shin (some fat & tendon) cut into 4 cm (1 1/2 in) cubes
- 3 slices of fresh ginger
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 3 star anise
- 1.75 litres (3 pints) chicken stock/beef stock
- 225g (8 oz) thin or flat dried rice noodles
- 225g (8 oz) tender beef fillet, cut into very thin slices
- Salt
- 225g (8 oz) bean sprouts, blanched in boiling water for 30 secs, then drained
- 4 fresh red or green chillies, seeded & chopped
- 2 limes or lemons, cut into wedges
- 4 spring onions, chopped
- Springs of fresh coriander
- Fresh basil leaves
- Fish sauce
- Freshly ground pepper
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil
- Add the pieces of beef brisket or shin and simmer gently for 10 mins, constantly skimming the scum and impurities from the surface
- Drain meat, discard water
- Put blanched meat back into pot, adding ginger, onions, cinnamon, peppercorns, star anise and stock
- Bring mixture to a simmer than reduce the heat to low
- Cover and cook slowly for 3 hours or until meat is very tender
- The soup can be prepared in advance to this point, even days before
- Soak noodles in a large bowl of warm water for 15 mins or till soft
- Drain and discard water
- When meat is cooked, strain the broth into a clean pan, discarding the beef
- Skim off any surface fat and season with salt to taste
- Add noodles to the broth, return to boil and simmer for 3 mins
- When you are ready to serve the pho, arrange the slices of beef fillet in a large tureen or large individual bowls and leave to stand for 3 mins, in order to cook the beef lightly
- Serve soup with all the garnishes arranged on a platter
If prefer, you can blanched the fillet lightly before adding to the bowls. The idea of placing garnishes on the platter is for each guest to add their choice of garnishes and seasoning to their soup.