This recipe has been shared with the permission of Huong’s Kitchen, Vietnam.
Priscilla Elazar and her son were recently there, doing a cooking class while on holiday (see images below), and learnt to make this and other delicious dishes!
INGREDIENTS:
For the Broth
- 1–3 kg pork bones, including marrow and knuckle bones
- 500 g beef
- 1 onion, peeled
- Fish sauce, salt, sugar, stock powder
For the Aromatics
- 1 onion, unpeeled and halved
- 2 knobs ginger (thumb-sized), sliced
- 3 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2–3 black cardamom pods
- 1 tsp cloves (optional)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
For the Bowl
- 1 kg dried flat rice noodles
- 100 g spring onion, chopped
- 1 onion, very thinly sliced and soaked in ice water
- 300 g beef — eye of round or sirloin, thinly sliced
Note: This dish is quite similar to Chicken Phở, with only slight variations in preparation and meat.
METHOD:
- Prepare the bones:
Place the pork bones in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue boiling for 5–10 minutes. As the impurities rise to the surface, discard the water completely. Rinse the bones thoroughly under running water and clean the pot.
This step is essential for a clear broth and saves time later on skimming off scum.
- Make the broth:
Return the cleaned bones to a large stockpot. Add about 5 liters of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add 1 peeled onion, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 tbsp sugar (rock sugar preferred, but caster or brown sugar also works). Lower the heat to a gentle simmer.
Occasionally skim off foam and fat. Do not cover the pot — covering may make the broth cloudy.
- Prepare the aromatics:
Grill the halved onion, sliced ginger, cinnamon sticks, and black cardamom pods directly over an open flame (or in the oven) until lightly charred. Peel off any heavily burned parts of the onion and ginger.
Keep the onion stem intact if possible, to prevent the layers from separating.
Wrap the smaller spices (star anise, cloves, coriander seeds) in a spice bag or cheesecloth and add all the aromatics to the broth. Let everything simmer together.
- Cook the beef:
Slice the beef very thinly. Briefly blanch the slices in boiling water for a few seconds, depending on your desired doneness (rare, medium, or well done). - Assemble the bowl:
Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions. Drain and place a handful in each serving bowl (about 1/3 of the bowl).
Top with blanched or raw sliced beef (raw slices will cook under hot broth). Garnish with thinly sliced onion and chopped spring onion.
Ladle the hot broth over the top to fill the bowl. - Serve:
Serve with a side platter of fresh herbs (like Thai basil, cilantro), blanched bean sprouts, lime wedges, and chili sauce or fresh chilies.
Adjust the seasoning to your taste with lime juice and chili.
Priscilla Elazar is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Sports Dietitian.
