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Pho bo
Serves 4 Starters and mains
Ingredients
- For the basic broth
- 700g oxtail, cut into even-sized pieces by the butcher
- 600g shin of beef, cut roughly into 2cm cubes
- 3 small onions, unpeeled, washed and halved
- 2 carrots, quartered
- 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 100g galangal, cut into 3 chunks and halved
- 8cm fresh ginger, unpeeled and halved lengthways
- 2 red or green chillies
- 60g coriander stems and roots, leaves reserved
- 2 kaffir lime leaves or 3 strips orange peel
- 10 star anise
- 50g palm sugar
- ½tsp black peppercorns
- 4tbsp fish sauce
For the pho bo
- 300g flat rice noodles
- 100ml fish sauce
- 8 spring onions, thinly sliced
- 250g bean sprouts, roots trimmed off
- 600g organic well-hung beef fillet, cut into thin slices
- 2 medium red chillies, deseeded and sliced into rounds
- 20g mint, leaves removed
- a small handful coriander leaves
- a small bunch of sweet Thai basil, leaves only
- 4tbsp roughly crushed roasted peanuts
- 2 limes, cut into wedges thick, hot chilli sauce (optional)
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F/ Gas 7. Place the oxtail, shin, onions, carrots, garlic, galangal, ginger and chillies on a large oven tray and roast for 30 minutes. Place 3.5 litres of cold water in a preserving pan or 2 large pans and tip in the roasted mixture. Add the coriander stalks and roots along with the remaining broth ingredients. Bring to a gentle simmer for 3 hours. If using 2 pans you can move the broth into one pan as it reduces in volume.
If you want to make the broth a day in advance, strain it into a large bowl and chill overnight. The next day skim off the small amount of fat from the broth’s surface before you finish the soup.
For the pho bo, soak the noodles in boiled water for 10-15 minutes until soft. When ready to serve, boil the broth and add the fish sauce. Share the noodles between 4 bowls.
Place the spring onions, bean sprouts and sliced beef into the bowls and ladle over the hot broth. Top with some of the chillies, herb leaves, a scattering of peanuts and the wedges of lime. Serve the rest in small bowls, along with the chilli sauce, for everyone to help themselves to more.
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