Homemade Vietnamese Pho

Wondering what to do with your oxtail or soup bones? Craving a winter warm up but seeking some variety from the everyday? Try this rich collagen loaded and aromatically flavourful family meal. The broth takes a little extra time, but after the initial prep it slow simmers several hours unattended. For best flavour make the broth a day ahead.

This recipe served our family of 4 with leftovers for 2 the next day.

Stock Ingredients

2 lbs Oxtail and/or meaty soup, rib or shank bones

2 onions halved

1 large chunk of fresh ginger (about 3-4 inches)

1 cinnamon stick, 4 whole star anise, 1 tsp whole coriander seeds, 1 tsp whole cloves, 8 cardamom pods

5 litres of water

2 large carrots peeled and cut in large chunks

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees and roast your oxtail and/or bones and carrot minimum 30 minutes, turning partway through and adding

• Char the onion and ginger in the broiler until all of it is nice and black. Peel both and set aside.

• In a dry cast iron skillet toast all the seeds/spices - 2-3 minutes. You should smell a nice fragrance.

• Fill your stock pot with the water and add the oxtail. Bring to a hard boil for 5-10 minutes. Some scum may rise to the top of the pot. Drain this pot, rinse the bones and oxtail. Now fill your pot with 5 litres of fresh water and add the bones, ginger, onion, carrot and all the toasted spices. Bring to a low boil and lower to a gentle simmer. I simmered this 6 hours on very low and reduced to 2/3. Alternatively you can do this in a crock pot on low.

• Next remove the bones and oxtail from the pot. Strain the entire pot contents over a fine mesh sieve to remove everything but the broth. Remove the meat from the bones and oxtail. Shred this up and add it back to the broth. Cover the bowl, place in the fridge and let it sit over night. The next day there will be a thin layer of fat you can remove from the top of the broth, throw this out.

To Serve:

250 g package Pho Rice Noodles

Lime Wedges

Hoisin sauce/siracha to taste

2 cups fresh washed bean sprouts

Fresh bunch of cilantro and Thai basil

Thai red chiles

Optional: 4-5 very thin slices frozen eye of round beef roast or steak (if you like rare beef pho)

• When you are ready to eat gently reheat stock, add fish sauce and sugar to the broth.

• Meanwhile prepare your rice noodles according to the package and set all the garnish choices out on the table family style.

• Divide the noodles between 5- 6 bowls (and thin sliced raw beef if using). While soup is piping hot ladle on top of the noodles and beef. The hot broth will cook the beef to rare in the bowls.

• Let everyone garnish their soup as desired and eat immediately. Chopsticks and spoon get the job done in a rather messy fashion!