Pho (That's Almost as Good as Pho 75)




Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 2 ½ hours
Servings: 4 quarts of broth

INGREDIENTS:
Beef Broth:
2 pounds beef chuck, flank, or brisket
1 pound beef bones with marrow (optional)
1 pack frozen Vietnamese meatballs (optional)
2 quarts water

Spice Blend:
2 slices of ginger (cut ¼ inch thick)
¼ tsp coriander seeds
¼ tsp black pepper corn
1 tsp fennel seeds
½ star anise
½ small black cardamom pod
2 green cardamom pods
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves

Additional Seasonings:
1 Tbsp salt
tsp ground cinnamon (or ½ cinnamon stick)
1½ tsp onion powder (or 1 small onion quartered)
¼ tsp lemongrass powder (or ½ stalk of lemongrass)
35 g rock sugar or 2 ½ Tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp chicken bouillon
¼ tsp MSG (optional)
3 ½ Tbsp fish sauce

Final Additions:
2 cartons (32 oz each) Swanson chicken broth or cooking stock (must be unsalted)

Garnish:
Cilantro
Spring onion
Mung bean sprouts
Thai Basil
Lime
Siracha

Pho:
1 Pack Asia Best Bahn Pho (size S)
2 quarts water
1 tsp salt


BROTH INSTRUCTIONS:

Fill a 4-quart pot with 2 quarts of water and bring it to a boil.

Cut the chuck or beef of choice into 2-in by 2-in chunks, and rinse under water.

Place the beef, along with beef bones if desired, carefully into the boiling water.

As the broth comes back to a boil, skim off the foam with a fine mesh strainer or fat skimmer.

Place the spice blend ingredients into a spice strainer and drop it carefully into the broth.

Add all the additional seasonings and let the broth simmer on low for 2 hours with the lid on. Remove the spice blend after the first hour. 

At the end of the two hours, remove the beef, then add two cartons of unsalted chicken stock to the broth. Chicken stock is key to making this pho taste restaurant-quality, do not substitute! If you have frozen Vietnamese meatballs, add them now. Bring this back to a boil and you’re done!

Tips: Refrigerating the cooked beef will make it a lot easier to slice. Also, slicing against the grain will make the meat a lot more tender.   

PHO INSTRUCTIONS:
Soak the rice sticks in warm water for 5 minutes until soft. Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.

Add salt to the water.

Drain the rice sticks and add them to the boiling water. Cook until desired consistency is achieved, in 5-10 minutes.

Serve with garnish.

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