PHO'

Pho' has got to be one of my favorite soups. I am very glad that I learned how to make it. It is a Vietnamese Beef Rice Noodle soup that is popular among many Asians. It's cheap and yummy. However, I have not eaten it at any resturants since I started making it at home. As cheap as it is to eat out, I prefer to make it at home cause it taste better, cleaner, and more fun that way. I can put as much beef as I like, or as much anything...broth, noodles, herbs etc and eat as often as I want through out the day. It is a task to complete, but it's very well worth it and I personally think it's easy. It does involve many little steps,....but they are easy steps. Below is the ingredients you'll need to make PHO':

For Soup Broth
Beef Bones
Choice of Brisket, Flank, ox tail (optional)
1 onoin
Ginger
Sugar
Salt
Fish sauce
Spices (2 Cinnamon stick, 10 Cloves,3 Star Anise, 1 TBS Coriander seeds, 1, Black Cardamon, 1 tsp Fennel seeds)
*you can buy spice mix in a packet at any Asian food stores if you don't have them

You'll also need:
Rice noodles

Thinly sliced Beef
Beef Meatballs

Culantro
Cilantro
purple stem Basil
Green Onions
Bean Sprouts

Siracha Sauce




Half fill a large stock pot with water and bring to a boil. Add beef bones and bring back to boil. Let boil for about 5-10 min till a lot of scum comes up to the top. Dump the liquid and wash the pot and the bones clean. Fill the pot back up with water and bring everything back to a boil again. Turn the heat down and let it cook on low after it boils again.
Add the spice bag and bring back to a boil. You can take out the spice bag after an hour or may leave it in the pot.


Let the broth simmer slowly for 8-10 hours, skimming the fat as it comes up to the top.


An hour before eating, grill an onion and 2 in ginger till they are black. I do this in foil on top of stove.

Wash them before adding to the beef broth. Add to broth.

Get rice noodles ready by boiling them in boiling water for 2 min. Do not over cook since you will be adding boiling broth to it later.

Get meatballs ready. Cut them in half and add to the broth pot for a few min.

Raw beef slices (paper thin).
Put noodles in a large bowl, then add your raw beef.
Herbs of your choice. I did not have sprouts today but usually I put them as well.
Pour boiling broth over your noodles and beef. Add herbs and choice of sauces ( hot sauce, chili sauce, fish sauce, hoisin sauce). PHO' must be eaten while it is very hot or it's not good. Enjoy!