Ông Ngoại’s Phở

INGREDIENTS

• 3 lbs. ox tails
• 3 lbs. beef bones (short rib variety)
• 2 onions, halved
• 1 ginger
• 3 star anise pods
• 1 package pho soup base (at Vietnames grocery store)
• chicken (or beef) broth
• salt (to taste)
• rock sugar (a pinch)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. in a big pot, add bones, a pinch of salt (1/2 – 1 teaspoon), and cook for 10 minutes at medium heat to clean bones
2. remove bones and discard water.  At this time, thoroughly scrub and wash bones of all traces of blood using a good scrubber.
3. in a big pot, place bones and enough water to cover the bones.  Add salt & rock sugar (optional).
4. bring pot to boil, and lower to simmer.
5. on another stove, grill onions (halving onions first) and ginger (lightly mashed beforehand) until lightly burned.   Add to pot while it’s stewing the bones.
6. best if you let pot simmered overnight or at least 2 hrs on low heat, occasionally skimmer and remove any traces of fat/debris on top of pot.
7. about 1/2 hr before serving, add the following items: chicken broth for additional flavor, 3 star anises (grilled lightly), package of soup base, salt to taste
8. for rare beef, use flank steak and slice against grain into thin slices of meat, the thinner the better. You can also use the cooked short ribs as they tend to have more flavor.
9. separately prepare fresh Pho noodle, a handful at a time in boiling water for a minute. In a big bowl, add noodle, meat, minced cilantro and onion and plenty of broth.
10. while slurping and enjoying your bowl of Phỏ from Ba/Ông Ngoại , think of the times he comes over and smack you on the head. It’s his trademark of showing his love to you in place of a bowl of noodle.
11. eat, drink, love noooodlllleeee .