Pho Tai – Nam Recipe

Blanch bones

Place marrow and soup bones in a large stockpot and cover with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and boil for 8–10 minutes to release impurities. Drain bones and discard the blanch water. Rinse bones and pot to remove scum.

Char aromatics

While blanching, char the halved onion and ginger directly over an open flame or under a broiler until deeply browned and slightly blackened (6–10 minutes), turning as needed. This deepens the broth flavor.

Toast spices

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast star anise, cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, cloves, and coriander seeds for 2–3 minutes until fragrant. Transfer toasted spices to a spice sachet or tie in cheesecloth.

Simmer broth

Return blanched bones to the cleaned stockpot. Add 5 L (approx) of fresh water, charred onion and ginger, the toasted spice sachet, rock sugar, and 1 tsp coarse salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium-high heat, then immediately reduce to low so the broth barely simmers (small bubbles). Do not boil vigorously—maintain a very gentle simmer to keep clarity. Simmer uncovered for 4–6 hours (4 hours minimum) to extract flavor. Skim any surface scum occasionally during the first hour.

Finish broth

After simmering, remove bones and strain broth through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot. Discard solids. Taste and add fish sauce (4 tbs) and remaining 1 tsp salt, adjusting to taste — broth should be balanced, slightly savory-sweet with pronounced beef and spice notes. Keep hot over low heat or hold at 80–85°C (175–185°F) for serving.

Prepare brisket

If you do not have pre-cooked brisket, simmer a 1–1.5 lb beef brisket in a small pot of salted water with 2 sliced onions and 2 cloves garlic for 1.5–2 hours until tender. Cool slightly and slice thinly against the grain into bite-sized pieces. Keep warm in a small amount of hot strained broth to prevent drying.

Freeze and slice eye round

For razor-thin slices of eye round steak, place the steak in the freezer for 15–25 minutes until slightly firm but not frozen solid. Using a very sharp knife, slice across the grain as thinly as possible (paper-thin). Arrange slices on a chilled plate and keep refrigerated until assembly. The hot broth will cook these slices to rare/medium-rare when served.

Prepare noodles

Bring a separate large pot of water to a rolling boil. Submerge dried flat rice noodles and use tongs to separate. Cook just until pliable but still slightly chewy, 45–90 seconds depending on width and age (check package). Immediately drain and rinse briefly under warm water to stop cooking. Portion approximately 4 oz (about 113 g) cooked noodles per bowl and place into serving bowls.

Heat and skim broth

Ensure strained broth is at a vigorous simmer (but not boiling) before ladling. If you prefer a clearer bowl, ladle hot broth into a small pot and use a fine skimmer to remove any residual fat or scum prior to serving.

Assemble bowls

Place a portion of sliced well-done brisket atop the noodles. Arrange a generous layer of raw eye round slices over the meat. Scatter sliced green onions and optional cilantro over top. Add bean sprouts and basil on the side in the bowl if desired (they can be added by the diner).

Finish with hot broth

Immediately ladle 2–3 ladlefuls (about 500–700 ml) of piping-hot broth directly over the raw eye round and brisket so the thin eye round cooks to desired doneness (rare to medium rare) within 30–60 seconds. The hot broth will also warm the brisket.

Serve with condiments

Serve each bowl with lime wedges, additional bean sprouts, Thai basil, sliced chilies, hoisin and sriracha on the side. Encourage diners to squeeze lime, add sauces, and toss in herbs/bean sprouts to taste.