Recipe - Pho Bac (Hanoi Beef And Rice-Noodle Soup)

5 pound Beef bones with marrow
5 pound Oxtails
2 pound Short rib plate
2 lg Onion; halved
3 Shallot; unpeeled
2 ounce Ginger, fresh; unpeeled, in
8 Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
4 md Parsnip; cut into 2" pieces
2 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Beef sirloin
2 Scallion; thinly cut or sliced up
1 tablespoon Coriander; shredded
2 md Onion; cut or sliced up paperthin
One fourth cup Hot chili sauce (tuong ot)
or nuoc cham)
1 pound Dried rice stick, 1/4" wide
One half cup Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sa
Pepper, black

GARNISH
2 cup Fresh bean sprouts
2 Fresh red chile peppers;
cut or sliced up
2 Lime; cut into wedges
2 tablespoon Olive oil
2 lg Garlic clove; flattened

*Leave onion unpeeled, and stud with eight whole cloves.

In order to cut the beef into paperthin slices, freeze the pieces of
meat for 30 minutes before slicing.

The night before, clean the bones under cold running water and soak
overnight in a pot with water to cover at room temperature. (This will help
loosen the impurities inside the bones. When heat is applied, these
impurities are released and come to the top much faster and can be removed,
therefore, producing a clear broth.)

Place the beef bones, oxtails and short rib plate in a large stockpot.
Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse
the pot and the bones.

Return the bones to the pot and add 6 quarts of water. Bring to a boil.
Skim the surface to remove the foam and fat. Stir the bones in the bottom
of the pot from time to time to free the impurities. Continue skimming
until the foam ceases to rise. Add 3 quarts more water and bring to a boil.
Skim off all the residue that forms on the top. Turn the heat to low and
simmer.

Meanwhile, char the clovestudded onions, shallots and ginger directly
over a gas burner or under the broiler until they release their fragrant
odors. Tie the charred vegetables, star anise and cinnamon stick in a
double thickness of dampened cheesecloth. Add the spice bag, parsnips and
salt to the simmering broth. Simmer for 1 hour.

Remove the short rib plates. Pull the meat away from the bones. Reserve
the meat and return the bones to the pot. Simmer the broth, uncovered, for
4 to 5 hours. Keep an eye on it; as the liquid boils away, add enough fresh
water to cover the bones.

Meanwhile, slice the beef sirloin against the grain into paperthin
slices, roughly 2 by 2 inches in size. Slice the reserved short rib meat
paperthin. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the scallions, coriander and half of the slice
onions. Place the remaining cut or sliced up onions in a small bowl and stir in the
hot chili sauce. Blend well.

Soak the rice sticks in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

When the broth is ready, remove and discard all of the bones. Strain
the broth through a strainer or colander lined with a double layer of
dampened cheesecloth into a clean pot. Add the fish sauce and bring the
broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep the broth at a bare simmer.

In another pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Drain the noodles,
then drop them in the boiling water. Drain immediately. Divide the noodles
among 4 large soup bowls. Top the noodles with the cut or sliced up meats. bring the
broth to a rolling boil. Ladle the broth directly over the meat in each
bowl (the boiling broth will cook the raw beef instantly). Garnish with the
scallion mixture and freshly ground black pepper.

Serve the onions in hot chili sauce and the accompaniments on the side.
Each diner will add these ingredients as desired.

The Foods of Vietnam
Nicole Rauthier
per Stephen Ceideburg Submitted By
SAM WARING SAM.WARING@3829112.IMA.INFOMAIL.COM On MON, 06 NOV 1995
105605 GMT

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini