Hanoi Beef And Rice Noodle Soup (pho Bo)

Total Time: 1 hr 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 lbs beef oxtails
• 3/4 cup thinly sliced fresh ginger (about 3 ounces)
• 2/3 cup coarsely chopped shallot (about 3 medium shallots)
• 5 quarts water
• 4 cups coarsely chopped daikon radishes (about 1 pound)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons thai fish sauce (such as three crabs)
• 1 teaspoon peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 2 star anise
• 1 large yellow onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 cups vertically sliced onions
• 12 ounces wide stick rice noodles (banh pho)
• 2 cups fresh bean sprouts
• 12 ounces eye of round roast, trimmed and cut into 1/16-inch slices
• 2 cups cilantro leaves
• 1 cup thai basil
• 4 thai red chili peppers, seeded and thinly sliced
• 8 lime wedges
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce (optional)

Recipe

• 1 to prepare broth, heat a large stockpot over medium-high heat. add oxtail, ginger, and shallots; sauté 8 minutes or until ginger and shallots are slightly charred.
• 2 add water and next 8 ingredients (through cinnamon stick); bring to a boil. reduce heat, and simmer 4 hours. strain broth through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids.
• 3 return broth to pan, and bring to a boil. reduce heat to medium, and cook until reduced to 10 cups (about 30 minutes).
• 4 skim fat from surface; discard fat. keep warm.
• 5 to prepare remaining ingredients, add sliced onion to broth. place noodles in a large bowl, and cover with boiling water.
• 6 let stand 20 minutes. drain. place 1/3 cup bean sprouts in each of 6 soup bowls.
• 7 top each serving with 1 1/3 cup noodles and 2 ounces eye-of-round.
• 8 carefully ladle 1 2/3 cups boiling broth over each serving (boiling broth will cook the meat). serve with cilantro, basil, chiles, limes, and hoisin, if desired.