The Magical Broth that Cooks Your Dinner

Pho

Pho (pronounced like Fah) is an amazing Japanese dish that takes hours to make, but the rewords are well worth the wait. The best pho is made up of a meticulously crafted broth that simmers for hours on end, then strained and poured over a variety of veggies, meats and noodles. There are many combinations including veggie, seafood, pork, beef and chicken, or a combination of these mixed into one. I set out to make a pho that was flavorful, authentic, and didn't require most of my day to make. With that said, I give you my personal crafted pho recipe. It makes 4 servings and takes about 4 hours to make, but 3 of those hours are simmering, so you can tend to the other million things going on in your life. Because who has time to spend the entire day in the kitchen, right?

Beef Pho with greens, tripe, hoisin sauceand sriracha.

Broth:
6 qts water
2 lbs ox/beef tail
3 lbs beef neck bone
1.5 lbs beef marrow bones
1 large yellow onion, quartered
6 star anise
4 whole cloves
4" ginger root, halved
1 cinnamon stick
4 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp coriander
1 Tbsp fennel
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Bowl options:
1 lb thin sliced beef
1 lb sliced tripe
1 lb fresh (or dried) pho rice noodles
Thinly sliced onion
Bean sprouts, soaked in water
Lime wedges
1 finely sliced Thai chili
Scallions, soaked in water
Cilantro
Thai basil
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha

Directions:
Parboil 3 sets of bones for 10 min. Remove bones, flash chill in cold water. In a clean pot add 6 qts water. Add bones back to water. Broil ginger and onion so slightly toasted and add to water. In a skillet, lightly toast anise, cinnamon, coriander, fennel and cloves for 5 min. Place in cheese cloth and add to water. Add fish sauce, salt and sugar. Bring to boil and reduce to a simmer for 3 hours. Remove any oils or residue floating on top. Remove contents and strain broth with a fine metal strainer into another pot. Remove any remaining oils floating with a spoon or baster. Bring back to a simmer and the broth is ready to serve over selected contents in your bowl. Soak dried noodles in hot water for 15-18 min or cook fresh noodles in boiling water for 20 seconds. Fill a pho bowl 1/3 full of noodles. Add remaining desired ingredient options. Pour the broth over all ingredients until almost fully submerged. Add additional sauces (Hoisin/Sriracha) to meet your desired flavor. Cheers!