"Pho is one of Vietnam's most well-known dishes. For many families, the cooking of the dish is a true labor of love and care. With its aromatic broth, slurpable rice noodles and many delicious garnish options, it is very easy to customize a bowl to suit your tastes."
Phở is present in every corner in Vietnam, from the North to the South, from the rural area to big cities. In Vietnam, you can easily find a hot and delicious bowl of Phở for less than two dollars in a food stall everywhere. For that reason, although I grew up eating Phở, I did not know how to make Phở or what Phở is made of until I moved abroad. Interestingly, it is not difficult to find a Vietnamese or Asian food restaurants that serve Phở in Bonn (Germany), in Amsterdam (Netherlands) or in most cities in the U.S. Furthermore, in my personal experience, whenever foreigners speak about Vietnam, the first thing that usually comes to their mind is Phở and they always try to pronounce Phở correctly, although it usually comes out as “Pho” without the Vietnamese accent. My conversations with international friends and colleagues about Phở made me start questioning: When did Phở start gaining it global popularity? What is the role of immigrants in making traditional Vietnamese food become more ubiquitous? If you are also curious about this topic like me, you can read more about the history of Vietnamese cuisine, which also discusses the role of Phở in making Vietnamese food popular outside of Vietnam, in my website.
I am from Ho Chi Minh city, which is in the South of Vietnam. Southern Pho (Phở Nam) is different from Northern Pho (Phở Bắc) in various aspects: from the texture of the rice noodle, the making of the broth, the condiments, the toppings to the herbs. When attempting to make authentic Southern-style of Phở, I found it difficult to find the herbs that distinguishes Phở Nam from Phở Bắc, including Saw Leaf/ Culantro (ngò gai), Rice Paddy Herb (ngò om) and Thai Basil (húng quế) – this can explain why most Phở I found in various cities in Europe is cooked in Northern style. With the ingredients I could find from ethnic stores and markets in Bra and Turin, I decided to combine the best of both worlds by developing a recipe with the broth made in Southern style and other elements prepared in Northern style with reference to the recipe of Phở in this book and the cooking tips from my mom when I cooked Phở with her in Vietnam.
Ingredients
- DAM TOI (PICKLED GARLIC VINEGAR:
- 10 medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 2 cups water, divided
- 4 teaspoons salt, divided
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 to 2 Thai chiles
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- BROTH:
- 3.5 pounds beef leg or knuckle bones (choose ones with lots of marrow)
- 3 liters water, divided
- 4 tablespoons salt, divided
- 2-1/2 pounds beef top sirloin steak
- 2-1/2 pounds fresh beef brisket
- 1 piece fresh gingerroot (about 3 ounces), peeled and sliced lengthwise
- 2 large white onions, left whole, skin on
- 1 piece fresh gingerroot (about 3 ounces), left whole, skin on
- 2 cinnamon sticks (2.5 inches each)
- 3 whole star anise
- 2 large cardamom pods
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 4-1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1-1/2 teaspoons MSG, optional
- 1 teaspoon rock sugar or granulated sugar
- TO SERVE:
- 28 ounces Banh Pho rice noodles
- Table-side Garnishes (Northern Style): Prepared Dam Toi, 1 large onion halved and sliced into strips soaked in ice water, 4 wedged medium limes, 3 sliced green onions8 minced Thai chiles
- Table-side Garnishes (Southern Style): Fresh mung bean sprouts, hoisin sauce, sriracha, lime wedges, Thai chiles and chopped fresh Thai basil, coriander, mint and Culantro (sawtooth herb/Ngo om)
Directions
1. For Dam Toi, which is used as a garnish for northern style pho, in a small bowl, combine sliced garlic, 1 cup water and 3 teaspoons salt. Cover and refrigerate overnight; drain. In a small jar, combine sliced garlic and vinegar. Heat remaining 1 cup water until hot; add to jar. Stir in sugar, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and chiles. Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight.
2. In a large saucepan, cover beef bones with 2 liters water. Add 2 tablespoons salt and cider vinegar. In another large saucepan, cover boneless beef with remaining 1 liter water, remaining 2 tablespoons salt, wine and sliced ginger. Cover both saucepans and refrigerate 2 hours; drain (discarding ginger from boneless meat). Add enough cold water to each saucepan to cover bones and meat. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil 3 minutes; drain both saucepans and rinse bones and and boneless beef.
3. Preheat oven to 425°. In a stockpot, cover bones and boneless beef with enough cold water to cover completely (about 5 liters). Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, skimming and discarding foam occasionally. Simmer until foam starts to collect more slowly, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, arrange whole onion and whole ginger on an ungreased baking sheet. Roast until slightly charred, 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally. Remove and discard charred skins; set aside.
5. In a dry small skillet, toast cinnamon sticks, anise, cardamom pods and coriander over medium heat until aromatic, 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Cool. Place spices on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose spices; tie securely with string.
6. Once foam is no longer collecting on surface of broth, add onion and ginger and spice bag. Stir in salt, MSG if desired and rock sugar. Simmer, uncovered, until beef is tender, about 1-1/2 hours. With tongs, remove beef to a large bowl; cool slightly. Wrap beef tightly in foil and refrigerate.
7. Continue simmering broth, uncovered, until broth is light golden brown and fragrant, 2-5 hours, stirring occasionally and removing any foam that collects on the surface.
8. To serve, cook Banh Pho according to package directions; set aside. Remove beef from refrigerator and thinly slice against the grain. For each serving, in a small colander, add an individual portion of noodles and beef. Lower colander into simmering broth until beef and noodles are heated through. Add beef and noodles to a serving bowl. Top with additional broth, about 1 cup. Serve with garnishes as desired.