Pho - Viet Nam’s National Soup
If you can imagine beef noodle soup for breakfast, then you decidedly
want to try Pho, a Vietnamese dish.
Pho (pronounced "phir" in English) is influenced by the Chinese and French
cuisines, and was believed to have originally derived from a French soup, "pot
au feu",(pot on fire)which Wikipedia defines as a French beef stew. This is
usually a mixture of cuts of beef, vegetable, and spice.
Pho had its humble beginnings nearly 100 years ago, and at that time was
basically boiled beef, broth and noodles. It has since evolved into much more
than that. During the war in Viet Nam, when beef became scarce, a pork version
(pho lon) evolved.
3 medium unpeeled yellow onions (approx 1 pound)
4-inch piece unpeeled ginger (approx 4 ounces)
5 to 6 pounds beef soup bones (leg and knuckle bones - have butcher cut into 2-3
in sections)
1 lb flank steak. cut into bite-sized pieces.
5 star anise
6 whole cloves
3-inch cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup Hot chili sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Freshly ground Black pepper
1 ounce rock sugar (duong phen) or 1 tablespoon white sugar
For The Bowl Itself:
1/2 lb sirloin or round steak
1 TBS Cilantro-chopped
2 14 ounce packages of small ( 1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles
2-3 scallions, with green tops sliced into small rings.
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 Limes cut in wedges
1 bunch Fresh mint
1 bunch Fresh Asian or regular basil
2 Fresh chili peppers, thinly sliced (Thai dragon or bird preferred)
To Make The Broth:
Char 2 of the onions (reserve the other onion for bowl preparation) and ginger
over an open flame to release essential oils and fragrances. They do not need to
be blackened - only char to soften. (This can be done under a broiler if no open
flame is available). Remove skin and blackened pieces from onions and ginger,
remove stem ends from onions and discard. Set aside.
In a large stock pot, place leg bones and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a
rolling boil, and boil approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, and rinse
under cold running water. Thoroughly clean stock pot, and return cleaned bones
to pot. Add 6 quarts of water bring to a rolling boil, and reduce to a gentle
simmer. Add onions, ginger, star anise,cloves, cinnamon stick, cut up flank
steak, salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours, and remove
flank steak. (Steak should be done through but chewy) Cool steak in bowl of cold
water to keep it from drying out and turning brown. Refrigerate flank steak.
Continue simmering broth for approximately 3 hours, skimming scum and fat from
broth occasionally, and stirring bones from time to time.
When done, strain broth through double-folded cheesecloth in a colander to
remove any impurities and pieces of tendon. Discard bones. To make preparation
of Pho much easier, refrigerate broth overnight. When cold, any excess fat can
be easily removed from the cold broth. The idea here is to have a very clear,
fat-free broth.
To Prepare The Bowls:
Slice the sirloin or round steak against the grain in very thin slices.
(Freezing for a half-hour makes this easier)
Thinly slice cooked flank steak
Heat broth to boiling over medium heat.
Blanch noodles in 3-4 quarts of boiling water, and use a strainer to remove each
bowl portion. Blanching should only take about 10-20 seconds, until the noodles
have lost their stiffness, and are easily managed. If using fresh noodles,
simply untangle and rinse in cold water. Blanch bean sprouts in same water until
wilted but crunchy.
Fill each bowl approximately 1/4 full with noodles, place cooked flank steak and
slices of raw sirloin or round steak on top of noodles. Garnish this with sliced
scallions, thinly sliced onions, and chopped cilantro.
Ladle seasoned broth into bowl. The idea here is to have the boiling broth cook
the thinly sliced raw steak. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
A garnish plate is served with the completed Pho. It is customary for the diner
to pull the leaves from the stalk of the basil and mint to season their meal.
Take thinly sliced peppers, swirl them into the soup for added flavor. Add the
slice of pepper if you like it very spicy. Lime wedges are used to add a
tartness to the soup. Bean sprouts are also used as a garnish.
This variation of Pho is typically served in South Viet Nam. In the North, Pho
is a much simpler dish, minus a lot of the ingredients found in this recipe. In
the North, Pho is served without the herbs and bean sprouts. Green chilies and
lime only are used as condiments. In the South, Pho can be served with a dozen
different ingredients.