[sonick]

If anybody's interested, I got this pho recipe from a member on another forum:

The trick to making good pho broth is this: low and slow. After you first parboil the bones to remove impurities, you want to cook it on low heat and for several hours.

Here's the recipe:

Broth:
5-6 lbs of beef shank bones, with marrow
2 lbs of beef shank meet (trimmed off silver skin and fat)
2 onions, charred on the outside, then scrape away the burnt bits. (You can cook this directly over flames for 4-5 minutes.)
1 4-5" finger of ginger, charred the same way as the onions
6 full star anise pieces
8 whole cloves
3-4" cinnamon stick
1 1.5" thumb-size piece of yellow rock sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
4-5 tablespoon fish sauce (adjust to your liking)

To cook the broth, first bring a pot of water to a boil. Put in the bones, then boil for 4-5 to let the impurities float to the surface. Dump out the pot. Make sure the bones are well rinsed so there're no loose bits.

Cover the bones with about 6-7 quarts of cold water. Add in onion, ginger, cinnamon stick, salt, fish sauce, and the shank meat. Wrap the star anise and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth, or put them in a teaball, so you can remove them later. This spice pack should be removed after about 2 hours, but you can leave it in longer if you want a more aromatic broth.

Bring the broth to a boil, then turn down to low heat. Remove the shank meat (not the bones) in about 60-70 minutes. Wrap up so it doesn't dry out, set aside.

Let the broth cook on low (or even simmer, depending on how much heat you have). The key is to not invigorate the broth too much. Skim off the scum and fat that float to the top, but do leave a bit of fat behind (it's delicious fat, man). Let it cook for 5-6 hours, but at a minimum 4 hours is needed. I find that after 6 hours, you get significantly diminished return when you cook it longer. So, longer cooking is really not necessary. That said, if you leave the broth overnight, it'll deepen in flavor.

That's it for the broth, it's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. Just let it cook on low, and you can go about your business, e.g. go to a local pub for a little bit.

As for the content of the bowl, I use sirloin meat (in the freezer for a few minutes, sliced thinly), beef meatballs (with tendons), beef tripe (optional), pho noodles (soak for about 30-45 minutes before cooking), thorny cilantro, cilantro, thai basil, mint, beansprout, lime, and onion (optional). (You don't need all of the herbs, but at a minimum get thai basil, beansprout, cilantro, and lime.)

Oh, if you like the tendon bits, once the both is done, take a small knife and trim off the tendon bits off the bones. (This is where I usually get my fill of tendons before other people get to them. )

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If you've never seen pho made before, there's an extra chapter for you. After you've cooked everything, removed the bones, sliced the meats, etc.--crank up the heat and get a rolling boil going.

In a separate, smaller pot, fill with water and bring up to a boil. Take 1 serving of the soaked pho noodles, put in a strainer, then dunk in the boiling water for 3-4 minutes, until the pho is al dente. Take out, strain, put on the bottom of a large bowl.

Next, layer a few slices of the cooked shank meat, a few meatballs (cut in half), some tripe or tendon pieces (optional), then a few slices of the raw, thinly sliced, sirloin. Spoon the boiling broth over this, season with pepper if necessary. Serve.

At the table, have all the veggies (rinsed and dried), lime wedges, etc. arranged on a big plate. Have a container or a bottle of hoisin sauce, and sriracha, on the table as well. Let your guests help themselves to the veggies and condiments.