Peek: Birthday Pho

There won't be a chapter monday because I'll be spending the time with my mom for her birthday. But, before anyone considers rioting, I'll be posting the new chapter here, later today, too. And, to give a bit of meat to this peek, how about the pho recipe I'm making her?

For those not in the know, pho is very similar to ramen, which is a comparison that those who are in the know are probably groaning about. The pho comes in two major steps: the broth and the actual meal. First, the broth. It takes a fair bit longer to make, though a lot less time if you have a pressure cooker. For it, you'll need:

1 cinnamon stick

6 whole cloves

2 pods star anise

1 teaspoon fennel seed

2 oz fresh ginger, crushed

1 onion, quartered

3 lbs oxtails and beef shanks, mixed. I tend to just do the oxtails, but just use whatever is easiest to get, or a mix of both.

1 lb chicken wings

1/2 large fuji apple

10 cups water

5 tsp kosher salt

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tbsp palm sugar (I used raw cane sugar, couldn't get palm)

In the pressure cooker (or pot, if you don't have one), toast the spices until they smell like something to be excited about. Once that's done, in go the ginger and onion to sear. The spices might burn a bit, but that's fine. Should take just a few minutes. Next goes the meat. I try to sear a bit, but the pot tends to be a bit crowded at this point for that. Still not a bad idea to give it another couple minutes before adding the water.

If using a pressure cooker, get it up to medium heat, then clamp it down and only keep enough heat to keep it at pressure and cook for about a half an hour. If using a pot like I tend to, simmer it for as long as you can be bothered. A longer simmer generally means a tastier soup. You might need to add more water, depending on how long you let it cook

Once done, fish out the meat and chunks, and strain the broth. It will keep nicely in the fridge, so I tend to make it a day in advance, or more. Now, on to actually putting some food into the broth. You'll need:

8 oz eye of round, sirloin, or london broil sliced thin. Very thin. Deli meat thin. Ask the butcher at the counter to do it, unless you happen to have a deli slicer at home or something.

14 oz thin rice noodles. Banh pho if you can find it, but thin rice noodles that will cook quickly is all you need.

3 scallions, sliced thin

2 Thai bird chiles, sliced thin. If you don't want spice, ignore. If you do, but can't get that specific chile, a jalapeno should be fine.

1 c bean sprouts.

2 c fresh herbs, including cilantro, Thai basil, and mint. Normal basil works, too. I'd recommend extra basil, personally

2 limes, quartered.

Soak the rice noodles for 30min, and get a large salted pot of water boiling while they soak. It won't even take a minute to cook them. I'd put them in a spider skein and basically just dip it into the water. They're basically cooked once they get up to temperature. Deposit in bowls along with some of the thin slices of beef, then pour the hot broth over the top, which will cook them, and help finish the noodles if they need it. Finish with whichever of the veggies, herbs and limes as desired. Serves 4-6.