This is a very popular dish, served in areas of the United States in which there are Vietnamese or other Southeast Asian populations. There are many variations of the broth and noodle combination, but the garnishes virtually always stay the same.
Ingredients
For Making the Broth
- 6 oz Ginger
- 2 lbs Onions
- 1 Thai Chili
- 8 Star Anise
- 5 Cloves
- 1 tsp Black Peppercorns
- 5 lbs Oxtails
- 2 lbs Beef Chuck
- 2 oz Fish Sauce
- 2 oz Sugar
- 2 gal Water
- 1 Tbsp Salt
For Assembling the Pho
- 1 lb Thin Rice Noodles (bun or pho)
- 2 qts Hot Water
- 8 oz Lean Beef, frozen and then sliced paper thin Broth
For the Garnish
- 8 oz Yellow Onion, shaved
- ½ bunch Scallions, sliced thin on a bias
- 1 bunch Thai Basil
- ½ bunch Cilantro
- 2 Limes, wedged
- 2 oz Thai Chiles, minced
How to Make It
- Either directly over a flame or on a grill, char the onion, ginger, and Thai chili until blackened on their surfaces. Once all of the onion, ginger, and chiles have been blackened, peel off the outer skin (that has been charred) and discard; chop the remaining sections into ½-inch pieces, and set aside.
- In a small sauté pan, toast the star anise, cloves, and peppercorns over a medium-low flame to heighten the flavor (be careful not to burn them!). Once done, set aside.
- Place the oxtails and beef in a stockpot large enough to hold them. Cover them with water and bring to a boil.
- Once the water has come to a boil, turn the heat off and remove the meat from the pot; discard the liquid.
- Place the blanched oxtails and beef, toasted spices, fire-roasted onion, chili, ginger, fish sauce, sugar, and water in a stockpot, and bring to a simmer over a medium-high flame.
- Once the mixture reaches a simmer, skim the film developing on the surface and turn the heat to a gentle simmer.
- After the broth has gently simmered for 1.5 hours, remove the beef chuck and set it aside to cool.
- Once the chuck has cooled, slice it thin and set aside.
- After the broth has gently simmered for a total of 2 hours, place the dried rice noodles in a container with 2 qts of hot water to hydrate.
- After the broth has gently simmered for a total of 2.5 hours, strain the broth and keep it hot.
- To serve, place a small pile of the hydrated rice noodles in a bowl, along with a couple slices of the beef chuck, and top with a couple slices of paper-thin raw beef; ladle 8 oz of broth over this.
- Serve with a small amount of each of the garnishes, to be added to the soup by the diner at his or her discretion.