Phở

Even though this dish is spelled Pho it's properly pronounced "Fuh". It's a Vietnamese recipe I saw in Chef Jet Tila's recipe in his book, ‘101 Asian Dishes You Need To Cook Before You Die’. I took what he wrote and what my brother remembers from when he was in Vietnam, then I added to and subtracted from and came up with this Pho recipe.

 

 

Ingredients:

- 3-4 lbs Oxtails

- 2 lbs chuck roast (or top sirloin)

-1 large onion unpeeled and quartered

- 2 pieces ginger root (4” each)

- 6 qt. water

- ½ cup fish sauce

- ¼ cup oyster sauce

- ½ cup sugar

- Salt (to taste)

- ½ lb (cooked/drained) rice stick noodles

- 4-6 star anise

- 3 whole cloves

- 1 cinnamon stick

- 3” X 3” piece of cheesecloth to make sachet

- ½ lb slightly frozen roast ***(directions to follow)

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——— Ingredients in broth ———

- 1 onion peeled and sliced paper thin

- 2 scallions cut on a bias

- 1½ cups bean sprouts

- ½ cup Vietnamese basil (or regular/Thai basil)

- Limes cut into quarters

*** Place roast into freezer for 20 minutes. This will make slicing the meat very thin much easier.

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Directions:

- Preheat oven to 475°.

- Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick spray. Place chuck roast, bones, onions

  and ginger on pan and roast for 30 – 40 minutes. Be careful not to burn.

- Make a pouch by putting the star anise, cloves and cinnamon in the cheesecloth. Pull all corners up

  and tie together with twine to hold herbs. This is called a sachet.

- Add 4-6 quarts of water to a large stockpot

- Place roasted meat, bones, onions and ginger in water and turn heat to high. This will let the water heat

  up slower and produce a clearer broth with fewer impurities. When the water reaches a boil, reduce to      a low simmer.

- Put sachet in water and simmer for up to 45 minutes. Then remove sachet to keep herbs from becoming

  bitter. Put fish sauce and sugar in and stir. Skim fat and debris from top of water periodically to keep

  broth as clear as possible

- Simmer for about two more hours, then remove chuck roast and place in cool water. When cool, set

  aside and wrap in plastic to prevent drying out.

- Place in freezer for 20 minutes to make it easier to cut.

- Remove from freezer and slice about 1/8 inch thick. Continue simmering and skimming the rest of

  ingredients for up to six hours.

- Place rice noodles in water and soak for appx. 20 minutes.

- To serve, distribute noodles between four bowls. Add noodles meat, onions, scallions, bean sprouts

  and basal. Bring broth to a boil and ladle enough to cover ¾ of ingredients in bowl. Garnish with wedge

  of lime and enjoy.

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