Special Pho Noodle Soup Recipe
Beef noodle soup with sliced rare beef, brisket, tendon, tripe & meatballs
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Ingredients
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Broth & aromatics
Proteins
Noodles & base
Garnishes & condiments
Method
Broth & aromatics
- 1
Parboil bones and clean
Place beef bones (and oxtail if using) in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat for 10 minutes. Skim and discard scum. Drain bones and rinse under cold water; clean out the pot.
- 2
- 3
Toast spices
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, coriander seeds, and fennel seeds until fragrant, about 2–3 minutes, shaking the pan so they don't burn. Transfer spices to a spice bag or cheesecloth and tie closed.
- 4
Simmer broth
Return cleaned bones to the stockpot, add 5 liters of fresh water, the charred onion and ginger, the spice bag, and rock sugar. Bring to a gentle simmer (do not boil hard) and skim foam in the first 20–30 minutes. Reduce heat to low, partially cover, and simmer for 4 hours for a rich broth (6–8 hours if you used oxtail) — occasionally skim fat and scum.
- 5
Season broth
After simmering, remove bones and strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean pot. Discard solids. Add fish sauce and salt to taste (about 4 tbs fish sauce and 2 tsp salt to start). Keep hot over very low heat while you prepare other components.
Proteins
- 6
Prepare brisket, tendon, and tripe
If not already cooked: simmer brisket, tendon, and tripe in salted water or a portion of the prepared broth until tender—brisket 1.5–2 hours; tendon 2–3 hours; tripe 1.5–2 hours. Cool slightly, then refrigerate and slice thinly across the grain. If pre-cooked, reheat in the hot broth for several minutes before serving.
- 7
Prepare rare beef
Freeze the raw eye round or sirloin for 20–30 minutes to firm for easier thin slicing. Using a sharp knife, slice as thin as possible (paper-thin). Keep chilled on a plate until plating.
- 8
Cook meatballs
If meatballs are raw, simmer or poach them in the hot broth until cooked through, about 8–12 minutes depending on size. If pre-cooked, warm them in the broth for 3–5 minutes.
Noodles & base
- 9
Prepare rice noodles
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat, add dried rice noodles and soak according to package instructions until pliable but not mushy (usually 5–8 minutes). Stir gently to separate. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly under warm water to stop cooking. Portion noodles into 4 warm serving bowls (about 3.5 oz dried noodles per bowl).
- 10
Heat green onions and cilantro
Scatter sliced green onions and cilantro over the noodles in each bowl.
Assemble & garnish
- 11
Arrange proteins
Top the noodles in each bowl with slices of brisket, tendon, tripe, a couple of meatballs, and arrange the paper-thin raw beef on top. (Raw beef will cook when hot broth is poured over.)
- 12
Ladle hot broth
Bring the strained broth to a near boil and then remove from direct high heat so it's hot but not raging. Ladle about 4 cups (approx. 950 ml) of boiling-hot broth over each bowl, covering the raw beef so it cooks to rare/medium-rare immediately. Ensure any cooked proteins are warmed through.
- 13
Finish and serve
Serve each bowl with plates of garnishes: Thai basil, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced chiles, hoisin and sriracha. Encourage diners to add lime, sauces and herbs to taste. Offer extra fish sauce and chili on the side.