Vietnam
Recipe by Mr. Cuisine — researched from regional sources and kitchen-tested
A deeply aromatic, crystal-clear beef noodle soup featuring a rich, gelatinous broth extracted from slow-simmered leg marrow and knuckle bones, perfectly balanced with charred ginger, onions, and toasted spices.
Place all beef bones, oxtails, and flank into a large stockpot. Cover completely with cold water. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat and let boil vigorously.
This forces out trapped blood, impurities, and loose proteins from inside the bones which would otherwise permanently cloud your soup.
A thick, dark grey foam rising to the surface of the boiling water.
Dump the contents into a clean sink, discarding the dirty water entirely. Rinse every single bone under warm running water, scrubbing away any remaining grey coagulated bits or loose marrow clots. Thoroughly scrub the pot clean of residue.
Completely removes any trace sources of cloudiness and off-flavors.
Pristine, pale bones and cleanly washed meat with no clinging grey foam.
Return the washed bones and meat to the clean pot. Pour in 5 litres of fresh, cold filtered water. Bring to a bare simmer over medium-high heat. As soon as tiny bubbles break the surface, reduce heat to low. Keep the pot completely uncovered. If using flank, remove it after 2 hours when tender, plunge into ice water, wrap, and chill.
A gentle, lazy simmer coaxes out collagen and flavor without emulsifying fat into the water. Keeping the pot uncovered prevents temperatures from soaring.
Tiny bubbles lazy-breaking the surface every few seconds. Never allow a rolling boil.
While the broth simmers, place the halved unpeeled onions and sliced ginger skin-side up on a baking sheet. Place under a broiler on high until deeply blackened. Alternatively, char carefully over an open gas burner flame. Rinse away any loose, completely ash-blackened skin flakes.
Caramelizes natural sugars to lend a golden hue and deeply complex, smoky sweetness to the broth base.
Softened, aromatic vegetables with heavily blackened surfaces.
At the 4-hour mark of simmering, place star anise, cinnamon, cloves, black cardamom, coriander, and fennel seeds into a dry skillet over medium-low heat. Toss constantly until highly fragrant. Transfer spices and the rinsed charred aromatics into a cheesecloth bag. Submerge the bag into the simmering broth along with the yellow rock sugar and salt.
Toasting activates the volatile oils. Restricting spice infusion to the final 2 hours catches their peak bright aromas without bleeding bitter, medicinal notes into the soup.
A highly aromatic kitchen and a broadening amber shade to the broth.
Turn off the heat. Remove large bones and the spice pouch. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with double-layered damp cheesecloth into a fresh pot. Stir in the premium fish sauce. For optimal restaurant quality, cool and refrigerate overnight to easily peel off the hardened fat disc before reheating to a rolling boil.
Cheesecloth catches micro-sediments. Adding fish sauce at the very end ensures its savory punch remains crisp and does not turn sour during cooking.
A perfectly translucent, clean, deep-amber liquid with a gorgeous gloss.
Blanch the prepared rice noodles briefly, drain well, and place into pre-warmed deep bowls. Arrange slices of the cooked flank/oxtail alongside the raw eye fillet slices across the noodles. Top with ice-soaked white onions, scallions, and cilantro. Pour the rolling-boil broth directly over the raw beef.
The intensely hot broth cooks the ultra-thin raw beef to a perfect juicy medium-rare instantly in the bowl.
Raw meat transforming to pink and tender right before your eyes as the broth fills the bowl.