Pho

90 minutes (not including the simmering time)

hard

6 servings

Pho is a very popular dish in Vietnam. It originated in the early 20th century in northern Vietnam and became popular with refugees after the Vietnam War. It is a soup of broth, rice noodles, herbs, and meat. Most people usually go with beef, but chicken isn’t a poor choice either. I’m not saying that this is an authentic recipe, but it’s what I make that satisfies my taste buds. So, enough history, let’s get cooking.

I admit it is a long process, but it’s damn worth it.

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Ingredients:

Adjust Servings
5 lb knuckle beef bones and marrow bones with meat 2.5 kg
3.5 oz ginger 100 g
3 whole onions
5 qt water Roughly 5 liters
Star anise
Cardamon pods
Cloves
Cinnamon sticks
Coriander seeds
Bay leaf
2 tbsp fish sauce
Salt to taste
For Toppings
Rice noodles
Mint leaves
Fresh basil
Cilantro
Thin slices of beef steak
Chili peppers
Green onion
Lime

Directions

1.
First, put the onions and ginger into the oven until golden brown.
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2.
Put the bones into a big pot with water. Make sure the water covers the bones completely. When it comes to a boil, remove the pot, drain the bones, and clean them until they're perfectly clean. Ensure you also wash and clean the pot before putting the bones back in it.
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3.
Now, put back the bones and add the previously baked ginger and onions.
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4.
Add the water and the fish sauce.
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5.
In a cheesecloth, add two pieces of star anise, 1 cinnamon stick, a few cloves, coriander seeds, cardamom pods, and 2 bay leaves. With a butcher's twine, tie the cheesecloth with the spices and make a bag of herbs. Add the bag of herbs to the water and add about 2 tbsp of salt. It is a personal preference.
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6.
On low heat, simmer the broth for about 5-6 hours and check if it forms foam. You want to remove the foam, because you need the broth to be clean.
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7.
After the 1st hour, remove the bag of spices; otherwise, the spices will overpower the broth.
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8.
After 5-6 hours, remove the bones and strain the broth (remember, you only want the clean broth), but keep the meat. Remember, the marrow bones have meat on them.
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9.
In a bowl, first add a little bit of the cooked meat, then cooked rice noodles and thin slices of steak. Pour the hot broth over so the meat can cook. Top it with chili peppers, green onion, mint, basil, cilantro, and lime.
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10.
Finally, enjoy your well-deserved pho. It's luscious, succulent, and heart-warming. Let's get slurping.
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