Pho (Vietnamese Beef Soup) (Viet Nam)

[nverland]

Pho (Vietnamese Beef Soup) (Viet Nam)

5 to 6 lb (2.5 - 3 Kg) beef bones, cut
into 2 inch (5 cm) pieces
1 lb (500 g) stew beef, cut into ½ inch
(1 cm) pieces
4 onions, very thinly sliced
A 1 inch (2 cm) piece of fresh ginger
root, scraped and thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 star anise
1 tsp (5 ml) whole black peppercorns
Salt to taste
1 lb (500 g) fresh bean sprouts
½ lb (250 g) dried rice noodles
6 scallions (spring onions), thinly sliced,
including the green parts
1 lb (500 g) rump steak, sliced paper thin into
pieces about 2 by 4 inches (5 x 10 cm)
2 lemons, cut into wedges
2 hot red chillies, sliced into thin rings

Place the bones and stew meat in a large soup pot and add
10 cups (2.5 L) water. Add half the sliced onions, the ginger,
cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil
and turn the heat to a very low simmer. Skim the foam from
the surface and cook covered for 6 hours.

Soak the noodles in enough water to cover for 2 hours. Drain
and cook in enough boiling water to cover until just tender. Do
not overcook. Drain well and set aside.

Blanche the bean sprouts by pouring boiling water over them
in a colander. Rinse under cold water and set aside.

To serve, divide the noodles among individual serving bowls.
Top the noodles with bean sprouts, sliced scallions, sliced
onions, and the paper thin slices of beef. Ladle the broth over
the beef and noodles. The heat from the broth is enough to
cook the beef, which should be slightly pink. Serve with lemon
wedges, sliced chillies, nuoc cham (see below), and vegetable
platter (see below). Serves 6 to 8 as a main dish.

This vegetable platter is almost as common a sight on
Vietnamese tables as is the nuoc cham. An assortment of
greens and sliced vegetables is served alongside many
traditional dishes, allowing the diners to serve themselves.



Vietnamese Vegetable Platter

1 head soft leaf lettuce, such as Boston or Bibb (not Iceberg)
1 cucumber
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup fresh coriander (cilantro)
1 cup fresh bean sprouts

Separate the head of lettuce into individual leaves, rinse, drain,
and set aside. Peel the cucumber partially, so as to leave
stripes of green skin down its length. Cut the cucumber in half
lengthwise, and then into thin slices, forming semicircles.
Arrange the lettuce leaves in a mound in the center of a platter.
Arrange the mint, coriander, and bean sprouts in mounds
around the lettuce. Arrange the cucumber slices around the
edge of the platter, overlapping them slightly.

This sauce is served at virtually every meal, and is the
Vietnamese equivalent to the Western custom of providing salt
and pepper with every meal.



Nuoc Cham

2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 small, hot, red chili pepper, seeds
and membranes removed
2 Tbs (30 ml) sugar
¼ fresh lime, juice and pulp only
4 Tbs (60 ml) fish sauce*
2 to 4 Tbs (30 - 60 ml) water, according to taste

* Also known as nuoc mam, it is available in finer supermarkets
and Asian specialty shops

Purists insist that the garlic and chili pepper be ground together
in a mortar and pestle, although acceptable results can be
obtained by processing all the ingredients in a food processor.
The traditional procedure is as follows:

Combine the garlic and chili pepper in a mortar and mash with
the pestle until a paste is formed. Squeeze the lime juice into
the paste, then remove the pulp from the lime and add it to the
mixture. Mash to a paste again, and add the fish sauce and
water, stirring to combine. Makes about ½ cup (125 ml) to
serve 4 to 6.