Recipe: Hanoi Beef Soup Pho Bo Ha Noi

Pho Bo Ha Noi (Hanoi Beef Soup)
This recipe comes from Bach Ngo and Gloria Zimmerman's Classic Cuisine of Vietnam.

9 cups plus 3 quarts water
1 1/2 pounds oxtail, chopped into 2-inch pieces, or 2 pounds of beef bones
1 pound beef chuck in one chunk
1 two-inch piece of fresh ginger
3 shallots
2 star anise
1 finger-size stick of cinnamon (optional)
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup scallion greens, chopped
1 large onion, sliced paper thin
4 ounces bean sprouts
1/2 pound beef shoulder roast or round in one chunk, sliced paper thin
1/2 pound rice sticks (banh pho)
1/4 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 teaspoon salt Dash of MSG (optional)
1/2 fresh lime, sliced in four wedges
1/2 fresh hot red pepper, sliced horizontally in thin rings

Bring the nine cups of water to a boil. Drop in the oxtail and chuck. Return to the boil for 10 minutes, removing the scum several times. Meanwhile, impale the chunk of ginger on a fork and hold it over a flame until it is blackened. Do the same with the shallots. Add both to the broth, together with the Star anise and cinnamon, and cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Blanch the bean sprouts in boiling water for 30 seconds, then remove from the pan.

About 20 minutes before serving, bring the three quarts of water to a boil and add the rice sticks. Boil for five minutes, then drain in a colander and run cold water over. Set aside the noodles until you are ready to assemble the soup.

After the soup has cooked for about 1 1/2 hours, remove the chuck and oxtail, making certain they are tender. If they are not quite ready, return to the soup and cook a little longer. After you have removed the meat from the soup, add the fish sauce, salt and MSG to the soup.

To assemble and serve the soup, distribute the noodles among the bowls, 1 bowl for each guest. Slice the cooked chuck; remove the meat from the oxtail bones. Distribute the cooked chuck and oxtail meat over the noodles, then distribute the raw beef slices among the bowls. Add half of the onion slices, a few of the bean sprouts, and sprinkle with the combined parsley and scallion greens.

Immediately prior to serving, add boiling broth to cover the ingredients in each bowl. This will cook the raw beef.

At the table, serve a platter consisting of the remaining bean sprouts and onion rings, the lime wedges, and the hot red pepper rings. Serve additional fish sauce for those who prefer a saltier taste. A squeeze of lime can be added to the soup, as well as additional vegetables from the platter when desired.
serves 8