Vietnamese Pho Noodle Soup

vietnamesepho.blogspot.com

This is the classic Vietnamese dish of white rice noodles in clear beef broth, with various forms of beef like; shaved rare beef, braised brisket, meatballs and tripe. 

Pho noodle soup is a great comfort food and like most classics it has many recipe variations and history. Some say that "pho' is a Vietnamese corruption of the French feu (fire). The French have a classic boiled beef dinner pot-au-feu, and they did colonize Vietnam in the earlier part of the century .
A perfect candidate for the crock-pot this soup only benefits from slow simmering to infuse the broth with aromatic spices and let the flavors and gelatin from the bones seep into the consomme like broth.


Keys to a great broth include using marrow filled beef "osso bucco like" bones and charring the onion and ginger in the pho broth. The French method of adding roasted onion to pot-au-feu adds an extra rich looking brown colored broth. This use of charred aromatics makes it differ from other Asian noodle soups. Also par boiling the bones and meat help rid the broth of excess fat, which when boiled in stock can make the mouthfeel very greasy.
If you have a Vietnamese market in your area, check the aisles for pre-made spice packs, bones, meatballs, tripe, and they will even shave the beef for the rare steak for you. Also if you have a t-ball strainer (stainless steel mesh like strainer for making tea) these are perfect for putting the spices in to infuse the broth and it is easy to remove once the broth is done.

How to make pho ? --->View here