4 hr 30 min Weekend Magazine kitchen
Dairy-freeGluten-free
Northern phở is spare — clear broth, few garnishes, the beef and spices doing the talking. Southern bowls are sweeter and busier. Either way, the broth is a day of attention, not a stock cube. Make it on a slow afternoon; eat it for breakfast the way Hanoi does.
Ingredients
6
- beef bones2 kg
- beef brisket or shank500 g
- sirloin or eye of round300 g, sliced thin
- onion2, charred
- ginger1 large knob, charred
- star anise4
- cinnamon stick1
- fish sauce3 tbsp
- rice noodles500 g
- herbs, lime, chili, bean sproutsto serve
Method
- 1
Parboil bones 10 minutes, dump the water, rinse. This is how the broth stays clear.
- 2
Simmer bones and brisket with charred onion and ginger 3 to 4 hours. Skim. Add spices in the last hour.
- 3
Lift the brisket, slice. Season the broth with fish sauce and a little sugar and salt.
- 4
Blanch noodles. Lay rare steak and brisket in the bowl. Ladle boiling broth over to cook the steak.
- 5
Table: Thai basil, sawtooth if you have it, lime, chili, hoisin and sambal for the southern habit.