Joshua WalboltWhat the pho?
Pho is a dish popular across the world. It can be such a different soup based on the regions. Northern Vietnam’s rendition is very different from the Southern style. This is a wartime soup. It developed over time because just like any cuisines, food changes as it travels. In northern Vietnam the pho is more focused on the broth. The further south we go we start to see the addition of more toppings and herbs. This is the type we are generally more familiar with in the U.S.A
Beef Short Rib Pho
The kitchen table housed the vegetable platter we prepared earlier and onthe stove were two pots. The broth on simmer and a pot of water with a basketinside to boil and strain the noodles. When it was time to eat the kits lined up inthe kitchen and grabbed a bowl, they boiled there own portion of noodles and thenproceeded to ladle their own broth into their bowl fishing for meatballs and chunksof meat floating in the hot broth. We would then make our way to to the kitchentable and garnish with the herbs and crispy vegetables. Often a squirt of srirachaand hoisin sauce was added depending on your taste palate. I always liked mypho sweet, spicy, with a lot of lime juice. This is definitely a comforting dish thatreminds me of home. We ate it at home and family gatherings including holidaysand birthdays. Enjoy my version with some bone marrow and beef meatballs.Ohh.. We also invented pho spring rolls.
Equipment
- 1 Stock Pot
- 1 Fine Mesh Strainer
Ingredients
- 6 # Beef Bones
- 6 Each Bone in Beef Short Rib
- 5 Inch Ginger knob, spit and charred
- 1 Each Yellow Onion split and charred
- 7 Quarts Water
- 1/4 Cup Fish Sauce squid brand
- 7 Each Star Anise, Whole toasted
- 1 Teaspoon Clove, Whole toasted
- 9 Each Cardamom Pod toasted
- 2 Each Cinnamon Stick toasted
- 1 Tablespoon Coriander
- 1 Tablespoon Salt kosher
- 3 Tablespoons Sugar white, granulated
Hoisin BBQ Glaze
- 1/2 Cup Hoisin Sauce
- 1/4 Cup Sriracha Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice fresh
- 1 Teaspoon Fish Sauce squid brand
Garnishes
- 1.5 Pounds Rice Noodles 4 ounces per person
- As Needed Cilantro
- As Needed Thai Basil
- As Needed Lime Wedges
- As Needed Chili Oil
- As Needed Bean Sprout
- As Needed Fried Garlic
- As Needed Scallion sliced
Instructions
Pho Broth
- Purge the bones in boiling water for 5 minutes. Strain off the liquid and rinse the bones under cool running water.
- Put the bones back into the pot and add water. Bring liquid to a low simmer.
- Char onions and ginger and add it to the pot.
- Toast all the spices and add to the pot.
- Season the stock with sugar, salt, and fish sauce. (MSG optional)
- Simmer broth for at least 7 hours.
- Strain the stock and reserve all the beef.
Glazed Short Rib
- Chill the short rib after braising it in the pho broth for 3-4 hours.
- Place on a baking tray and coat with the hoisin bbq sauce.
- Bake in a 300 F oven for 1 hour, glazing every 20 minutes.
- Coat the short ribs with crispy garlic and garnish with scallion
Hoisin BBQ Sauce
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.
Assemble
- In a pot, boil water. Blanch the Pho Noodles for 10-15 seconds. If using dried noodles soak them in cool water for at least 1 hour.
- In a bowl add the noodles and the hot broth. Garnish with the short rib and other garnishes. Optional, serve with hoisin and chili oil or sriracha.