Equipment
Ingredients
Bones and Meat
- 1000 g beef oxtail, cut into chunks
- 1000 g bone-in beef short rib
- 500 g beef brisket, whole piece
Aromatics and Spices
- 2 yellow onion, unpeeled, halved
- 1 fresh ginger, unpeeled, sliced 1cm thick
- 200 g daikon radish, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 6 star anise, whole
- 2 black cardamom, whole pods
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 10 g coriander seeds
- 5 whole cloves
- 5 g fennel seeds
Broth Seasonings
- 4000 ml water, cold
- 40 g rock sugar
- 30 g fine sea salt
- 60 ml fish sauce
Bowls (Noodles and Meat)
- 500 g dried flat rice noodles
- 300 g beef sirloin or eye round steak, raw, sliced paper thin against the grain
Garnishes and Herbs
- 50 g thai basil, stems removed, leaves washed
- 30 g fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- 30 g fresh mint, leaves washed
- 200 g bean sprouts, washed and drained
- 2 lime, cut into wedges
- 2 jalapeno or thai chilis, thinly sliced
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Place the oxtail, bone-in short ribs, and brisket in the large stockpot. Cover with cold water and bring to a vigorous boil at 100°C (212°F) for 10 minutes to release blood and impurities.
Drain the bones and meat entirely. Scrub them thoroughly under cold running water to remove coagulated bits, and wash the stockpot completely clean.
Place the halved yellow onions and thickly sliced ginger on a broiler pan or wire rack. Broil or carefully char over an open flame until deeply blackened on the outside and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the star anise, black cardamom, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, cloves, and fennel seeds until highly aromatic, about 3 minutes. Do not let them burn.
Return the clean bones, meat, charred onions, ginger, and peeled daikon to the clean stockpot. Add the 4000ml of fresh cold water and bring slowly to a gentle simmer.
Add the toasted spices, rock sugar, and sea salt to the pot. Maintain a very lazy simmer at 90°C to 95°C (195°F to 205°F). Skim off any gray foam or excess fat that rises to the surface to keep the broth clear.
After 2 hours of simmering, check the brisket. Once it is tender but still holds its shape, remove it from the broth using tongs. Immediately shock it in a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes, then wrap and refrigerate it to slice later.
Continue simmering the remaining bones, aromatics, and broth for another 4 hours to extract maximum flavor and gelatin from the oxtail and short ribs.
Turn off the heat. Use tongs and a ladle to remove all large solids from the broth. Strain the liquid carefully through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheesecloth into a clean pot. Stir in the fish sauce.
In a separate medium pot, bring water to a boil. Cook the dried rice noodles according to package directions until tender but chewy. Drain and rinse briefly under warm water to stop cooking.
Slice the cold cooked brisket thinly. Divide the cooked noodles evenly among serving bowls. Top each bowl with slices of cooked brisket and the raw, thinly sliced steak.
Bring the strained broth back to a rolling, aggressive boil at 100°C (212°F). Ladle the piping hot broth directly over the raw steak slices to cook them instantly in the bowl. Serve immediately with a separate platter of fresh herbs, bean sprouts, lime, and chilies.
Chef's Notes
- Parboiling the bones and washing them under cold water is the single most important technique for achieving the crystal clear broth characteristic of high-quality pho.
- Southern-style pho relies on rock sugar and daikon to achieve its signature subtle sweetness, contrasting beautifully with the deeply savory fish sauce.
- For the easiest, thinnest slices of raw steak, place the meat in the freezer for 20 to 30 minutes until firm but not frozen solid before slicing against the grain.
- Keep your broth at a bare, lazy simmer. Only one or two bubbles should break the surface at a time. Aggressive boiling emulsifies the marrow fat and turns the liquid cloudy.
- Do not add fish sauce to the broth while it is actively simmering for hours, as the prolonged heat can cause it to turn sour or overly pungent. Save it as the finishing seasoning.
Storage
Refrigerator: 1 week — Store broth, noodles, meat, and herbs in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the broth and cooked brisket only. Do not freeze noodles or fresh herbs.
Reheating: Reheat broth to a rolling boil before pouring over freshly blanched noodles and meat.
