Pho Bo Tai Nam (The Perfect Vietnamese Beef Rice Noodle Soup)

Ingredients

Yields: 10 servings

6 1/2 quarts water
1/2 dozen oxtail bones
3 lbs large knuckle beef bones with marrow
1 yellow onion
1 chunk fresh ginger, about 4 inches
1 chunk daikon, peeled
3 sticks cinnamon, broken in half
2 Tbs coriander seeds
1/3 cup star anise seeds
2 Tbs whole cloves
1/3 cup salt
3 Tbs sugar
2 to 2-1/2 lbs "outside" flank steak, very cold
2 packages rice noodles
2 cups bean sprouts
1 bunch Thai basil
1 bunch Vietnamese mint
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
2 limes, cut into wedges
3 fresh green jalapeno peppers, sliced
5 Tbs hoisin sauce, as needed
5 Tbs chili garlic sauce, or Sriracha
1 white onion (milder in flavour), sliced paper-thin
1/2 bunch green onions, finely chopped

Preparation

The broth is the most important part!

The day before:

In a pot, soak the knuckle bones in about a quart of water with 1 tablespoon of salt overnight.

The day of:

Clean the bones for clear broth - Rinse the bones and place them with the oxtail bones in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Drain the water. Rinse the bones under running tap water and set aside.

In a giant spice strainer (spice bag) combine the cinnamon, star anise, cloves and both kinds of cardamom. Set aside.

Char the yellow onion and ginger - Wash the unpeeled ginger; pat dry. Peel the whole onion without cutting the stem to make sure the onion doesn't fall apart in the broth. Place a grill on your stove (or less effective frying pan), then char all the skin of the ginger and onion. Wrap in aluminum foil. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Wash both under running tap water; the blackened skin will come right off. Bruise the ginger using a hammer to loosen the flesh and help release all the flavour.

Fill a 12-quart stockpot with 6 1/2 quarts of water. Place the oxtail bones from before, whole daikon, the strainer of spices, the charred ginger and onion, salk and sugar in the pot. Bring the liquid to a boil. Then lower the heat to a bubbly simmer. Cook for about 2 hours. Regularly skim the impurities rising to the surface of the broth using a fine mesh strainer.

While it cooks, do some prep:

Flank steak - thinly slice the meat using a sharp chef's knife. Make sure to cut the meat perpendicular to the grain so that the slices remain tender.

Get organized - Line up the serving bowls.
Chop white onion into thin, half-circle strips
Chop green onions
Bean sprouts whole
Chop cilantro
Chop Thai basil
Chop mint
Slice jalapeno peppers
Slice lime wedges

Rice noodles - Soak the dry rice noodles in a big bowl filled with cold water for 45 minutes. Drain the water using a colander. Set aside until the beef broth is ready.

Back to the pot:
Add salt, sugar and the bones with marrow. Cook for another 30-45 minutes.

Serving time:

Fill a medium-sized pan with about 2 quarts of water. Bring to a boil. Add about 1 cup of the rice noodles. Wait for the water to come back to a boil (about 1-2 minutes) then cook for about 30-45 more seconds. Drain the liquid and transfer the noodles to a serving bowl.

Wok: Add a handful of onion strips, bean sprouts, green onions and steak pieces, toss it around until steak is cooked (but still pinkish in centre). Put on noodles and add broth.

Serve with chili garlic sauce and hoisin sauce, Thai basil, mint, jalapeno peppers. Squeeze some lime juice into the beef broth to finish.

Note: Just a few drops of that chili sauce goes a LONG way!!