Pho Bo

January 18, 2004 at 04:57 PM

Category: Food

This one's for Ed and Joe. (I won't be making this for obvious reasons.)

Vietnamese Beef and Noodle Soup
Serves 4

Noodle Base:

1. Dip 1 lb fresh flat vermicelli rice noodles into boiling water for 45 seconds to heat through (do not overcook). If you don't have fresh noodles, use about 10-12 oz of dried noodles and cook as indicated on the package. Drain and divide into 4 large bowls.

2. Top with finely sliced pieces of raw sirloin or bottom round steak (or other variants of beef or meat including chicken, pork, or seafood).

3. Finely slice 4 scallions (green onions) and 4 small red onions. Chop 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro. Add the previous and 2 cups of bean sprouts among the bowls.

4. Ladle boiling beef broth (see below) into the bowls and serve with lime wedge, Asian basil or fresh mint, hoisin sauce, and/or chili sauce.

5. Enjoy (but, for goodness' sake, remember to make sure any raw meat is cooked throughly before consuming).

The Broth:

The fresh way would be to bring about 8 cups of water to boil, add in beef bones with enough ginger, salt and garlic to suit tastes. Simmer for about 20 minutes or more (until all flavour is extracted).

Discard bones. Add star anise, cassia, fish sauce, and roasted onions (to taste). Also, add a large chunk of beef brisket to the broth and cook until tender.

The lazy way would be to use any store bought beef broth and add in the above flavourings.

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