anyone have recipe for a really tasty pho' broth?

Answer 1

VIETNAMESE PHO

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Soups

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
5 lb Beef bones with marrow
5 lb Oxtails
1 lb Flank steak
2 lg Onions -- unpeeled, halved,
-and studded with 8 cloves
3 Shallots -- unpeeled
2 oz Piece ginger -- unpeeled
8 Star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
4 md Parsnips cut in 2-inch
-chunks
2 ts Salt
1 lb Beef sirloin
2 Scallions -- thinly sliced
1 tb Cilantro -- chopped
2 md Onions -- thinly sliced
1/4 c Hot chili sauce
1 lb Rice noodles 1/4-inch wide
-(or banh pho)
1/2 c Nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish
-sauce)
Black pepper -- freshly grnd.
2 c Fresh bean sprouts
2 Fresh chili peppers -- sliced
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
clove-studded 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
4-5 hours. Add more water if level goes below bones.

Meanwhile, slice beef sirloin against grain into
paper-thin slices, about 2-by-2 inches. Slice flank
steak the same way. Set aside. In a small bowl,
combine scallions, cilantro, and half the sliced
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
sliced 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.

Vietnamese Beef Pho

INGREDIENTS
4 quarts beef broth
1 large onion, sliced into rings
6 slices fresh ginger root
1 lemon grass
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
1 pound sirloin tip, cut into thin slices
1/2 pound bean sprouts
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
3 fresh jalapeno peppers, sliced into rings
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 (8 ounce) packages dried rice noodles
1/2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 dash hot pepper sauce
3 tablespoons fish sauce
DIRECTIONS
In a large soup pot, combine broth, onion, ginger, lemon grass, cinnamon, and peppercorns. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 1 hour.
Arrange bean sprouts, mint, basil, and cilantro on a platter with chilies and lime.
Soak the noodles in hot water to cover for 15 minutes or until soft. Drain. Place equal portions of noodles into 6 large soup bowls, and place raw beef on top. Ladle hot broth over noodles and beef. Pass platter with garnishes and sauces.

Answer 2

oh...my other favorite subject! A good pho broth is all about the bones. The BONES! Ox tail is the traditional bone, but just make sure it has good marrow. Apart from flavor, bones impart collagen, which adds thickness to the broth, and gives it weight on your tongue. Soaking the bones helps them cook faster. You cook them with some beef. You can use cheaper cuts of beef, like flank steak, bcs they'll get more tender during cooking. That's the base of your broth. You can add tripe and the nicer cuts of meat closer to the end to taste. But the other key ingredients are the star anise, cinnamon, cilantro (at the end) and of course...fish sauce. Digging around, here's the closest recipe I can find to an authentic pho recipe. This is from "The foods of Vietnam" by Nicole Routhier (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) Hmm...not a vn person, but the recipe is authentic.

http://www.recipesource.com/ethnic/asia/vietnamese/pho2.html

Yum!