Pho

If you've ever been lucky enough to sample this Vietnamese noodle soup, you'll know the experience is one that quickly becomes a sense-memory.  The deep, sweet, savoury aroma is enough to throw me back to a lovely day in Greenwich with my wife, when I first tried Pho.  I would one day like to augment that memory with an additional, more authentic experience in Vietnam.  After lockdown, perhaps :) Pho might be my number 1 food - once I get the craving, it's all over - it's pho or bust!

It has everything: flavour, skill in cooking, and passion to spend so long bringing it together.

This is my recipe for Pho - it's a dish I am truly passionate about and getting it right (or what I feel is right for me!) took a lot of research, and trial and error.

Be warned, this is a long cook - 6-7 hours - though most of the time is spent tending the broth rather than anything else, and it generally comes together very quickly at the end if you do your prep in advance.

Ingredient List:

Beef Bones - 4-5 good sized bones.  Most butchers can provide when buying meat.  Oxtail can also be incorporated.
Beef - topside or other similar tender cuts.
1 Large Onion
Ginger Root (or Galangal if you can get it!)
Lemon Grass (1 stalk)
Salt - I prefer Cornish Sea Salt Company salt
Fish Sauce
Thai Rice Noodles (5mm flat type)
Filtered Water

Aromatics/Spices:

Coriander Seeds
Red Peppercorns
Black Cardamom
Cassia Bark
Cloves
Star Anise
Sechuan Peppercorns
Rock Suger or Demerara Sugar


Dressing/Table Ingredients:

Fresh Basil (Thai Basil if you can get it)
Fresh Coriander
Chilli
Beansprouts
Nori Seaweed (whizz it up in a blender to create a powder/flakes)
Filtered Water
Sriracha
Lime wedges

A fairly long list for one dish - the layering of flavour is incredible in this meal.  That mostly comes from taking the time to let the broth develop.  I have found all major UK supermarkets to stock the above items, though it may require trips to a few.  Under Lockdown rules that could be difficult, but not impossible!

The best place for the spices I have found is Morrison's and Tesco's World Food section.

The beef bones might be the hardest part - I have found Morrisson's butcher's counter to be the most forthcoming in this respect, though my bones are often sourced at either Northfield Farm, or The Ginger Pig, both in Borough Market, or donated from a friend who's father owns a cattle farm.

The only ingredient I've struggled to find is Rock Sugar, so I use Demerara Sugar in it's place.

It's key not to neglect any element here, as they all go towards the final product;

- The bone broth is a lovely savoury, umami flavour - gentle and aromatic.
- The spices provide depth, whilst the ginger provides gentle heat.
- The dressings on the table provide texture, freshness and bite to the dish, whilst the lime adds a         slight acidic element.

I use filtered water throughout as, given the amount of time it takes to simmer this dish, I often find the impurities in water direct from tap leave an additional element that needs to be skimmed, or can add a scaley background flavour.

Stage 1:
Add Filtered Water to a large cooking pot and place on high heat - we're aiming for rolling boil.  Pre-heat your oven to 200°C.

Add Beef Bones to pot and boil for around 7-10 mins.  This releases impurities from the bones and any meat left attached to them.  Remove the bones from the water and wash them under the tap.  Again, we're making sure the bones are as clean as can be before they go towards making the broth.

Tip the water away and clean the pot out of any fatty deposits on the bottom and sides.  This isn't loving flavour as this first "cook" is a cleaning stage.

Stage 2:
Place the beef bones to a roasting rack and roast for around 15-20 mins - until the meat has browned and the fat is beginning to render out.  I have tried roasted and unroasted bones and find the former to be preferential in developing a deeper flavour.

Whilst waiting for the beef bones to roast, peel an Onion and slice in two.  Char the outside over a burner on your hob, along with 3 thumb-sized pieces of Ginger and 1 Lemongrass stalk.

If a burner isn't available, they can be placed under the grill once the beef bones finish roasting.

Add Thai Rice Noodles to a bowl of cold water and allow to soak right up till use.  They can take a while to soften.


Stage 3:
Once roasted, remove the beef bones from the oven and set to one side.  Clean the onion & ginger of any skin.  The toasting adds a subtle smoky flavour to the broth, but burnt pieces will add a nasty bitterness.

Once the onion, ginger and lemongrass are clean, add these to the cooking pot along with the beef bones and add around 1.5lts of filtered water.  Place over a very low heat

*** IMPORTANT ***
At no point should the pot boil - a gentle low simmer is key.  Boiling will cloud the broth.  Pho requires as clear a broth as possible!  A cloudy broth may not taste much different but will have higher emulsified fat content, resulting in a different mouth feel.

Stage 4:
Patience.  On a low heat, the water will take around 30-40 mins to come to full temperature.  Again, no roiling boil - there should be no lively bubble action at all ideally - gentle fine bubbles at most!  At this point, the broth can be checked every 20-30 mins, and any fat or impurities skimmed off with a spoon.  Occasional top-ups of water may be needed, but don't add so much as to halt cooking.

Stage 5:
At around the 4-hour mark, the Cassia Bark can be added.  Nothing special - throw it in and let it do its thing in the hot water.

Stage 6:
Spices & Aromatics:
To a dry flat frying pan add the Coriander Seeds, Peppercorns, Sechaun Peppercorns, Star Anise, Cloves and Black Cardamom.  Toast the spices so as not to burn them - keep them moving around.  After about 3-4 mins, add them all to a muslin bag such as this and set to one side.

In terms of ratios/amounts (all teaspoon amounts)

3x Coriander Seeds
2x Red Peppercorns
1x Cloves
2 Pieces of Star Anise
2 Black Cardamom Pods

Sechaun Peppercorns - I add under half a teaspoon roughly - they are an acquired taste and, when eaten raw and crushed, have a lovely numbing/tingly effect on the tongue and lips.  They have a citrus flavour and work well in this dish but are not the main player in the spice line-up.

Black Caramom is key - it doesn't have the soapy flavour of it's green cousin.  Smoky and rich, this pod goes a long way in this dish to contribute to the final depth of flavour.

Stage 7:
Final hour: At this point, your broth should have a lovely golden colour and be free of lots of floating fat, scum and debris.  This is the rest of the impurities slowing cooking out of the bones and should be skimmed every 20-30 mins.

Add the spice bag and let this release all it's flavour - roughly an hour is fine so as not to become overpowering.  As above, we're layering in the flavour.


Stage 8:
Final stage before serving.

Cut Beef Topside into thin strips, maximum 5mm thick.  Cutting across the grain will yield the best results.  Topside is a very tender cut intended for quick frying.  We're going to leave the beef raw, and allow it to cook in the broth when added to the bowl.  I have tried this with cooked brisket but found topside far superior and far less effort to mess around with.

Remove the bones, vegetables and spices from the broth and throw them away.  Add Salt, Fish Sauce and Demerara Sugar to taste and allow the broth to sit on the heat for around 10 mins.  No boiling, just keep skimming.

The broth should be a rich golden colour, but unclouded.  If you wish, you can now pass it through a cheesecloth to filter out the last of the impurities.

During this time, the Rice Noodles can be added to a pan of hot water and allowed to cook through. This will take around 5-7 mins - al-dente is ideal.

Stage 9:
Serving - Nearly There!!

Drain the noodles and add a generous portion of each to a bowl.

Lay the raw beef strips on the noodles.

Ladle the piping hot broth onto the noodles, allowing the beef topside to cook in the broth.

Serve with Bean Sprouts, Corinader Leaves, and Basil Leaves on the table.

Powdered Nori is a nice touch and adds an additional salty tone.  Chopped Chillis add heat, or top with a drizzle of sriracha sauce!  Lime Juice adds a little fresh zing and complements the coriander.

Soy sauce and even sesame oil are also great for dressing.

Enjoy!!
7 hours to cook, 7 mins to eat and clean bowls all-round!