I have attached a more traditional beef Pho Bo recipe than mine below. I had planned to follow the recipe (sort of) but my attempt evolved into a slightly different version, following my friend Marjorie's edict of "use what you've got". I didn't have all of the ingredients that the recipe required and didn't feel any sense of urgency whatsoever pushing me to rush out into Southern Cali's El Nino deluge, so I adapted.
I used chicken stock from the freezer rather than beef stock because I needed the room. I threw in a little red wine to add some depth of flavor; I figure that the French colonial influence in Vietnam would forgive me this. I substituted rice noodles for the thick noodles required because that's what I wanted to eat. My version of the dish is perhaps less floral because I had to substitute vinegar for lime juice. And obviously, my Pho Bo is heavier than the traditional because the real thing is more of a soup and mine is more of a beefy stew. Despite all this, the completed Pho Bo was well within the the flavor palate that I was looking for when I decided to make it in the first place.
Recipe
Serves the usual 4, with an additional portion left for a sybaritic lunch for the cook the next day.
2 lbs boneless beef short ribs, cubed
1 white onion, diced
2 tsps cardamom seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp Szechuan peppercorns
2 whole star anise
Large strip of dried orange peel or 1/2 tsp powdered orange peel
1/8 tsp white pepper
1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, cut in two lengthwise
2 tsps olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
2 Tbsps fish sauce
2 Tbsps rice vinegar
2 tsps Sriracha sauce
1 shallot, halved and cut into thin crescents
1 cup bean sprouts
1 cup Napa cabbage, roughly chopped
2 cups rice noodles, about 1/2 package of the rice noodles sold in your local grocery store
1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
Salt to taste
Heat one teaspoon of the oil over medium heat in a large stockpot that can also go in the oven. Brown the cubes of beef in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan so that the beef sears rather than braise. Season each batch with salt. As each batch is seared on all sides, set aside on a plate.
Preheat the oven to 250.
Add the onion, the ginger, and all of the spices except the white pepper to the pan in which you cooked the beef. Allow to cook for a few minutes, stirring from time to time, so that the spices become fragrant. Do not allow the onions to brown.
Return the meat to the pan with the onions, add the stock and cover. Place the covered pan in the oven and cook for 2 hours.
At the end of 2 hours, stir well, check for seasoning and add salt if necessary. Add the rice vinegar, the fish sauce and the Sriracha. Cover and cook for an additional 1-2 hours until the meat is tender and could be eaten with a spoon.
Remove from oven and, using a small ladle, remove as much of the fat that is on the surface as possible. I am a firm believer that fat is flavor but short ribs need a little less of it unless you want to hear the sound of your arteries screaming in fear. If you plan ahead, it is good to make this dish the day before. You can skip the degreasing step because when you remove the dish from the fridge, the fat will have congealed into an easily removeable disk.
Rehydrade the rice noodles according to the directions on the package.
Heat the remaining teaspoon of olive oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add the shallots, the cabbage and the bean sprouts and stir fry for a minute or so. Season with the white pepper and some salt. You want the vegetables to remain crisp.
To assemble: place some noodles in each of your 4 bowls (retaining some for lunch the next day). Ladle over a generous portion of the broth. Add some meat, top that with some of the vegetable stir fry and sprinkle with chopped mint. If you come across one of the larger pieces of spice as you assemble each bowl, remove it. If you don't, please warn your fellow diners that these may be lurking.
I usually put fish sauce, vinegar (or lime wedges) and Sriracha on the table when I make this so people can adjust the sauce according to their preferences.
Original recipe here.
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