Pho Bo

The entire continent of Asia is a mystery to me. It is the farthest away from my known universe, and it truely fascinates me. So much so that I planned my last backpacking trip to include Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. I came to my senses and realized I probably would not survive by myself for six weeks in Southeast Asia, so I went back to Europe instead. Part of me wishes I had went through with it.

I have attempted to smother my inner regret by buying many Asian cookbooks and learning everything I can about regional Asian food. Pho has been a huge interest of mine because it is delicious, and my ideal breakfast food. A few months ago, I read an article in the local paper about a Vietnamese restaurant in Syracuse serving delicious, authentic Pho. I have visited the restaurant twice and, sadly, I have not been impressed. This is my interprentation of the traditional Vietnamese aromatic beef and noodle soup. I snuck a bit of pork into the mix, just because I like it, and I think it adds an "unctuousness" to the sauce. I hate that word. If I am eating this for breakfast, I like to add a runny fried egg.

Vietnamese Pho Bo, adapted from Hot Sour Salty Sweet by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid


Broth:
6 pounds of meat; I use about 4 pounds of oxtail, 1 of pig tail, and 1 of pork neck
6 quarts of water
5 star anise pods
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
5 cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, lightly crushed
A large thumb sized piece of ginger
2 medium onions, cut in half
6 tablespoons good quality fish sauce (not made from anchovies, check out an Asian market)
Salt

Garnishes:
Noodles of your choice; I like wheat noodles, but rice are more traditional
Bean sprouts
Basil and cilantro
Lime
Sriracha or chiles for some heat

Place all the meat into a pot and just cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 minutes, then drain. Rinse the pieces and pot well. This will help clarify the broth by removing some of the impurities from the bones and meat. Place the meat back into the clean pot, and add 4 of the 6 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and add the anise, cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns.

The ginger and onion should be charred before they are added to the broth. This adds a nice smoky flavor to the broth. I put a wire cooling rack over the gas burner of my stove to blacken them. This could easily be done under the broiler, or in a cast iron skillet. After they are blackened, slice the ginger in chunks and add both to the pot.

Let the stock boil gently for about 30 minutes, continuously skimming off the foam and impurities. Add the remaining 2 quarts of water, bring back to a boil, and continue to skim. When the foam has stopped rising to the top, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for another hour. Add the fish sauce and continue to cook for 2 more hours.

Remove the stock from the heat, strain through cheesecloth into a container, and leave to cool. Once cooled, refrigerate for 2-3 hours, or overnight. The fat will rise to the top of the broth and solidify. Remove the layer of fat (you can save this to cook something in, it has great flavor). Shred the meat off the bones and use in the finished soup, or in another preperation.

To serve the soup, bring some of the broth to a boil and adjust the seasoning with more fish sauce or salt. Cook the noodles in salted, boiling water. If using bean sprouts, blanch them for about 30 seconds in boiling water. Add the noodles and sprouts to a bowl and cover with broth. Add some basil and cilantro leaves, sriracha or sliced chile, and a runny fried egg. Serve with a wedge of lime.