Soups and stews are much-loved kitchen standbys, and the reasons are obvious: they can be made out of just about anything on hand, they can serve as a starter course or as a nutritious one-pot meal, and most can be made ahead of time. So it's no surprise that the folks over at The Joy of Cooking headquarters thought to devote an entire volume of their All About series to these fabulous dishes. Adapted from The Joy of Cooking, this volume is coauthored by original Joy author Irma Rombauer, her ...
In Vietnam, this light, flavorful, visually exciting soup is a favorite for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It has given rise to numerous pho restaurants all over the United States.
Makes: about 12 cups
Servings: 4 to 6
BEFORE COOKING: Have ready:
1/4 cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger
1 medium onion, sliced
3 1/2 pounds oxtail, cut into 2-inch pieces (have your butcher do this)
One 3-inch cinnamon stick
6 star anise
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon light or dark soy sauce
One 1-inch piece Chinese yellow rock sugar (optional)
Place on a plate:
12 ounces round steak, sliced as thinly as possible (more easily done if partially frozen)
Place on a second plate:
2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
24 fresh basil leaves, halved
1/4 cup 2-inch pieces scallion, halved lengthwise
Place on a third plate:
2 cups bean sprouts
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil
Lime wedges
3 fresh chili peppers, coarsely chopped
TO COOK:
Heat a large soup pot over medium-high heat. When fairly hot, turn in the ginger and onion slices. Cook, stirring, until fragrant.
Add the oxtail and cook, stirring, briefly.
Stir in:
3 1/2 quarts cold water
Bring to a boil. Skim off the impurities that rise to the surface.
Stir in the cinnamon, star anise, salt, soy sauce, and rock sugar if using. Reduce the heat and simmer the soup for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, skimming as needed. Strain and reserve.
About 30 minutes before the broth is done, soak in cold water to cover:
Add the rice stick noodles. Cook for about 1 minute. Drain.
TO SERVE: Divide the noodles among individual soup bowls.
Add the slices of raw beef to each bowl, arranging them attractively. Divide the serrano peppers, basil leaves, and scallions among the bowls.
While arranging the individual soup bowls, bring the beef broth to a boil over high heat. Immediately fill each bowl with the boiling broth and serve. If the broth is added at the table, diners have the pleasure of watching it cook the beef and noodles.
Place the plate of bean sprouts, basil, lime, and chili peppers on the table, allowing diners to help themselves.
RICE STICK NOODLES: These thin, flat, translucent rice noodles should be soaked for 30 minutes in cold water, then boiled for 4 to 7 minutes before being added to any dish. They are most commonly used in pad thai and other stir-fried dishes and soups. Rice sticks are known as banh pho in Vietnam and jantabon in Thailand. Asian noodles are best understood by the type of flour or starch with which they are made. When looking for substitutes, choose noodles in the same starch family.
