Ingredients
5 lb beef bones with marrow
5 lb oxtails
2 lb short rib plate
2 large onion, halved
3 shallot, unpeeled
2 oz ginger, fresh, unpeeled, in
8 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
4 medium parsnip, cut into 2 pieces
2 tsp salt
1 lb beef sirloin
2 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp coriander, shredded
2 medium onion, sliced paper-thin
1/4 cup hot chili sauce (tuong ot) or nuoc, cham)
1 lb dried rice stick, 1/4 wide
1/2 cup nuoc mam (vietnamese fish sa
1 pepper, black
GARNISH
2 cup fresh bean sprouts
2 fresh red chile peppers, sliced
2 lime, cut into wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
2 large garlic clove, flattened
Directions
*Leave onion unpeeled, and stud with eight whole cloves.
In order to cut the beef into paper-thin slices, freeze the
pieces of meat for 30 minutes before slicing.
The night before, clean the bones under cold running water and
soak overnight in a pot with water to cover at room temperature.
(This will help loosen the impurities inside the bones. When heat is
applied, these impurities are released and come to the top much
faster and can be removed, therefore, producing a clear broth.)
Place the beef bones, oxtails and short rib plate in a large
stockpot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Cook for 10
minutes. Drain. Rinse the pot and the bones.
Return the bones to the pot and add 6 quarts of water. Bring to a
boil. Skim the surface to remove the foam and fat. Stir the bones in
the bottom of the pot from time to time to free the impurities.
Continue skimming until the foam ceases to rise. Add 3 quarts more
water and bring to a boil. Skim off all the residue that forms on the
top. Turn the heat to low and simmer.
Meanwhile, char the clove-studded onions, shallots and ginger
directly over a gas burner or under the broiler until they release
their fragrant odors. Tie the charred vegetables, star anise and
cinnamon stick in a double thickness of dampened cheesecloth. Add the
spice bag, parsnips and salt to the simmer-ing broth. Simmer for 1
hour.
Remove the short rib plates. Pull the meat away from the bones.
Reserve the meat and return the bones to the pot. Simmer the broth,
uncovered, for 4 to 5 hours. Keep an eye on it; as the liquid boils
away, add enough fresh water to cover the bones.
Meanwhile, slice the beef sirloin against the grain into
paper-thin slices, roughly 2 by 2 inches in size. Slice the reserved
short rib meat paper-thin. Set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the scallions, coriander and half of the
slice onions. Place the remaining sliced onions in a small bowl and
stir in the hot chili sauce. Blend well.
Soak the rice sticks in warm water for 30 minutes. Drain and set
aside.
When the broth is ready, remove and discard all of the bones.
Strain the broth through a strainer or colander lined with a double
layer of dampened cheesecloth into a clean pot. Add the fish sauce
and bring the broth to a boil. Reduce the heat and keep the broth at
a bare simmer.
In another pot, bring 4 quarts of water to a boil. Drain the
noodles, then drop them in the boiling water. Drain immediately.
Divide the noodles among 4 large soup bowls. Top the noodles with the
sliced meats. bring the broth to a rolling boil. Ladle the broth
directly over the meat in each bowl (the boiling broth will cook the
raw beef instantly). Garnish with the scallion mixture and freshly
ground black pepper.
Serve the onions in hot chili sauce and the accompaniments on the
side. Each diner will add these ingredients as desired.
The Foods of Vietnam
Nicole Rauthier
per Stephen Ceideburg Submitted
By SAM WARING
1995 105605 GMT
Servings: 4 servings
Pho Bac (Hanoi Beef & Rice-Noodle Soup) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Meat; Rice; Soup; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We are able to trace the history of meal recipes way back into ancient history, in fact as far back into recorded history as pharonic Egypt, and maybe even further. However, sadly, these old recipes were just primitive hieroglyphic instructions for meal preparation.
Interestingly, the oldest recipe in existence, according to historians is a collection of stone tablets in ancient Sumerian which show the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as making anyone who tried it feel `exhilarated, wonderful and blissful`. As our culinary historical trip moves on a few more years we have two interesting books published in the 1300s : one book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another entitled `Curye on Inglish`. Surprisingly, these two books are nothing to do with the indian food that is popular today, but instead descriptions of the types of meals enjoyed by the nobility of the time. During the succeeding few hundred years, the rich families of Wesstern Europe competed with each other to serve up the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence, cooks and their collection of recipes were greatly in demand. Nevertheless, it was during the 1800s that haute cuisine and recipe collections rose to prominence. Mrs Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Merritt Farmer in the USA, dedicated years of their lives to assembling, verifying, and recording recipes for their fellow cooks to enjoy. By the arrival of the 20th century, cooking publications are in high demand, as a result of more people being able to read, more free time and having more money. Like it or not, the introduction of television brings us cooking programs and the demand for the spin-off recipe books. Which pretty much brings us up to date and the invention of computers and the internet, permitting everybody to search through thousands of recipes just like those on our web site. |
We hope you enjoy this Pho Bac (Hanoi Beef & Rice Noodle Soup) recipe.
