Phở ‘sho!

Phở, pronounced fuh, is a Vietnamese noodle soup that our family has come to love during our tenure in Seattle. Phở houses are about as plentiful as Starbucks.  Each one boasts very delicate differences in the aromatic broth that is the base of this bone warming soup. I am not Vietnamese, and I do not have the knowledge of what in particular differentiates one Phở house from another other than that I like what they are serving.  This is such a simple dish to serve at home and costs only pocket change.

If I have a time to sit around all day on a Saturday and simmer the broth then I will make the beef base that flavors it from scratch with soup marrow bones, onion and ginger.  If I want to make it really quickly for dinner after a long day at work, then I use a really good beef broth (Better than Bouillon is always my choice), and the spice packet that I get from the local Asian market. I know a lot of you are not fortunate enough to have an Asian market at your disposal, but I think I have a pretty good take on it that does not require a visit to one.

While you have an array of choices from the menu for Phở at a Vietnamese restaurant - some of them very scary to most Americans - the most agreeable to the American pallet is rare beef and meatballs. The beef is eye round and sliced very, very thin and placed into the soup raw and allowed to cook as it comes into contact with the very hot broth. The meatballs are Asian flavored with garlic and ginger, but homemade or purchased home style meatballs will work just fine.

The noodle used in this is commonly a rice noodle. This would have been a little more difficult to find a few years back, but thanks to the gluten free diet trend, rice noodles are almost common place, even if they are grossly overpriced. If you go to an Asian grocery you will find rice sticks for $2.00 for 20 ounces whereas in a normal grocery store a 9 ounce portion will run you $4.00. But that’s a rant for another day.

I am a spice whore and shop only for spices at Central Market’s bulk department where I know the spices are rotated out often and therefore are quite fresh.  And purchasing them in bulk often drops the price nearly 500% from the little red jars that you find in the other area of the grocery stores - and no, 500% is not a typo. I think 500% less for fresher spices is a really good choice, but maybe I’m just crazy.

Phở for 4 (actually it probably feeds more like 5 but I thought 4 would be funnier) (Printable Recipe)

• 1 pound eye round beef and/or
• 1 pound meatballs
• 12 cups weak beef broth
• 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 2 star anise
• 6 cloves
• 1 green cardamom pod cracked
• 9 ounces rice stick noodles
• bean sprouts
• a small bunch of fresh Thai basil (regular would work too)
• a small bunch of cilantro
• green onions
• 1 jalapeño sliced (optional)
• 1 lime  cut into chunks
• hoisin sauce (optional)
• chili sauce (optional)

Put the beef in the freezer for 10-15 minutes to firm up then slice paper thin.  Cook the meatballs.

You will need 2 large pots. Combine all the spices in a reusable teabag or spice sachet.  Make your broth and bring to a boil. Drop in the spice blend and boil rapidly for 15 minutes. Taste the broth and add a little salt if needed.

Fill the other pot with enough water to cook your pasta according to package directions. Bring the water to a boil add the pasta and cook until just al dente. ***If you are fortunate enough to live near an Asian grocery store and have purchased the fresh noodles, then pour the boiling water over the fresh noodles stir once until the noodles are separated and then go to the next step. 

Pour the noodles into a colander and cool down the noodles just warm tap water to stop the cooking process. Then divide the noodles between your serving bowls. Then place 5-10 slices of meat over the top of your noodles, layering them so that they overlap but are mostly exposed. Or if you are using meatballs, put 4-5 in the bowl.

By now your broth should be boiling rapidly.  Ladle the broth directly over the meat until the bowl is full enough to cover the meat and noodles in order to have enough broth to cook the meat properly. A little pink is OK. ***If this really makes you nervous, put all the meat into yet another pot with enough boiling broth to cover it, and then simmer it until it is cooked to your liking.  The meat will be much less flavorful and a bit tougher if you use this method, but it will not be pink.

Let the bowls sit for a moment until you are happy with the color of the meat, and then start adding you toppings.  A handful of bean sprouts for a sweet crunch, lime for a little zing, a few torn pieces of basil and cilantro for an herbal twist, a slice of jalapeño for a hit of spice…all of some of these will do.  Then on a side plate puddle a little hoisin and chili sauce to dip you meat into. Then enjoy!

All day Phở scratch broth

• 6 fist sized beef marrow bones
• 1 large white onion sliced into quarters
• 1 ginger root about the size of 3 fingers sliced in half
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/8 cup fish sauce (optional)

Place everything onto a baking sheet for about 20 minutes into a 400^oF oven.  Remove from the oven and put into a stockpot with soy sauce and a gallon of water. Simmer all day occasionally scooping off the impurities the rise to the top. Add water back to the pot if needed when it comes time to assemble the soup.