Recipe - Vietnamese Pho

5 pound Beef bones with marrow
5 pound Oxtails
1 pound Flank steak
2 lg Onions; unpeeled, halved,
and studded with 8 cloves
3 Shallots; unpeeled
2 ounce Piece ginger; unpeeled
8 Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
4 md Parsnips cut in 2inch
chunks
2 teaspoon Salt
1 pound Beef sirloin
2 Scallions; thinly cut or sliced up
1 tablespoon Cilantro; chopped
2 md Onions; thinly cut or sliced up
One fourth cup Hot chili sauce
1 pound Rice noodles 1/4inch wide
(or banh pho)
One half cup Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish
sauce)
Black pepper; freshly grnd.
2 cup Fresh bean sprouts
2 Fresh chili peppers; cut or sliced up
2 Limes cut in wedges
1 bn Fresh mint
1 bn Fresh Asian or regular basil

Soak bone overnight in cold water. Place bones, oxtails and flank steak in
a large stock pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook 10
minutes, drain and rinse pot and bones. Return bones to pot, add 6 quarts
water and bring to a boil. Skim surface of scum and fat. Stir bones at
bottom from time to time. Add 3 more quarts water, bring to a boil again
and skim scum. Lower heat and let simmer. Char clovestudded onions,
shallots, and ginger under a broiler until they release their fragrant
odors. Tie charred vegetables, star anise, and cinnamon stick in a thick,
dampened cheesecloth. Put it in stock with parsnips and salt. Simmer for 1
hour. Remove flank steak and continue simmering broth, uncovered pot, for
45 hours. Add more water if level goes below bones.

Meanwhile, slice beef sirloin against grain into paperthin slices, about
2by2 inches. Slice flank steak the same way. Set aside. In a small bowl,
combine scallions, cilantro, and half the cut or sliced up onions. Place remaining
onions in another bowl and mix in hot chili sauce. Soak rice noodles in
warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside.

When broth is ready, discard bones. Strain broth through a colander lined
with a double layer of damp cheesecloth into a clean pot. Add fish sauce
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer. In another pot, bring 4 quarts
of water to a boil. Add noodles and drain immediately. Do not overcook
noodles. Divide among 4 large soup bowls. Top noodles with cut or sliced up meats.
Bring broth to a rolling boil, then ladle into soup bowls. Garnish with
scallions mixture and black pepper. Serve the onions in hot chili sauce and
remaining ingredients on the side to add as desired. Also, you can add
Hoisin sauce as a dip. Serves 4.

Source: "The foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Routhier (Stewart, Tabori & Chang)

From the rec.food.recipe archives. From: nguyenc@rtsg.mot.com (Chuong M.
Nguyen)

MM format by Judi M. Phelps. jphelps@shell.portal.com, juphelps@delphi.com,
or jphelps@best.com

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