Vietnamese Beef Pho

4 Servings

For the Broth:

2 pounds beef bones
2 pounds short ribs
2 pounds oxtail
cold water, as needed
1 teaspoon coarse salt
4 large onions
5 inch-piece ginger
6 cloves garlic
6 whole star anise
8 cloves
2 cinnamon sticks
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
8 ounces thin rice noodles

For the Garniture:

1 small onion
2 green onions
2 Thai chilies, or serrano
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
1/2 cup cilantro
1 bunch Thai basil
1 lime
Sriacha sauce
oyster sauce
12 ounces beef tenderloin, thinly-sliced

Directions:

Blanch the Meat and Bones: Place beef bones, short ribs, and oxtail into a stock pot and cover with cold water. Bring the water up to a boil over medium-high heat. Skim the impurities off the top as they rise to the surface. Once the water comes to a boil, drain and discard the water.
Make the Broth: Cover the meat and bones again with cold water and return to the heat. Slowly bring to a simmer, skimming any additional impurities off the surface.
Peel the onions and ginger. Cut the onions in half. Char the onions and ginger on a hot dry cast iron skillet. Dice the onions into about 1″ -inch pieces. Cut the ginger into large slices.
Once most of the impurities have been skimmed from the surface of the broth, add the salt, onion, ginger, star anise, cloves, garlic, cinnamon sticks and peppercorns. Continue to gently simmer until the meat is cooked through, at least 2 hours.
Once the broth has finished cooking, remove and discard the solids. Strain the broth through a chinois lined with cheesecloth. Skim as much fat from the surface as possible. If desired, cool the broth over an ice bath and refrigerate. Remove any hardened fat before proceeding with the recipe.
Assemble the Soup: Bring the desired amount of broth to a simmer, about 2 to 3 cups per person. Taste the broth and season to taste with the fish sauce and sugar.
Place the noodles into a large bowl and cover with very hot water. Soak for about 30 minutes or just until soft. In the meantime, prepare the rest of the garniture.
Peel and thinly slice the white onion into rounds. Thinly slice the green onions and chilies on a bias. Wash and spin-dry the bean sprouts, cilantro and basil. Set each aside. Cut the lime into wedges. Place the Sriacha sauce and oyster sauce into small sauce dishes. Remove the beef tenderloin from the refrigerator.
Place the cooked noodles in preheated bowls. (If the noodles are not hot, dip them briefly in boiling water to prevent them from cooling down the soup.) Place a few slices of the beef and the raw sirloin on the noodles. Bring the broth to a rolling boil; ladle about 2 to 3 cups into each bowl. The broth will cook the raw beef instantly. Garnish with yellow onions, scallions and cilantro. Serve immediately, inviting guests to garnish the bowls with bean sprouts, herbs, chilies, lime juice and black pepper.