Vietnamese Beef Pho

It has been some months since I visited the local night market (known commonly as "pasar malam" in my part of the world) . An ever- ready trooper for street food, I enjoy the sights, smells and buzz of the night market every bit as much as I love the finesse, intricacy and richness of fine dining.

Last Sunday, I decided to lug the family to the Taman Tun night market with the intention of (1) exposing my 16-month old to unfamiliar sights and sounds (which is, as I've been duly advised by scores of  childcare literature, most beneficial for the mental development of an infant /todder); (2) re-acclimatizing my 4 year old who's beginning to enjoy the comforts of upmarket al-fresco dining a wee bit too much; and (3) satisfying the old craving (which occasionally presents itself) of "assam laksa by the roadside".

What caught my eye instead was this lovely rack of fresh beef ribs and bones (with just the right amount of meat and cartilage attached to it) being chopped up by the Indian butcher. What leapt to mind was a bowl of piping hot and steaming vietnamese beef pho.

So to cut a long story short, here's that piping hot and steaming vietnamese beef pho which we enjoyed for dinner 3 days later :)

I added prime sirloin strips to the pho - pink perfection just how I like it.

My dear hubby loved it and thought it was a lot of work. The secret to good pho really lies in the broth. And since good broth is the derivation of ample quality ingredients for a wholesome, tasty stock PLUS sufficient simmering time, it really was not that much of work or time tied in the kitchen.

First, I threw the beef and bones in a wok of boiling water for  a few minutes . The parboiled beef/bones is then submerged in a pot of clean cool water to get the broth started. This gets rid of the scum that arises in the parboiling process  which would otherwise cloud the broth.

Next, I grilled some ginger and 3 large onions which I had lightly brushed with oil. This gives further depth to the flavour of the broth. 

Next, I put the above spices and condiments into a muslin bag. They include a cinnamon stick, some coriander seeds, white pepper seeds, fennel seeds, a couple of cardamon pods, a few cloves and a few bits of star anise.  

I dumped all the above plus some rock sugar, a tablespoon of salt and a few dashes of fish sauce into the pot of water with beef/bones in it to begin broth. Simmered  the broth for about 2 hours plus. 

I garnished my bowl of flat rice noodles in piping hot beef broth with a generous sprinkling of finely chopped spring onions and cilantro leaves, threw in some thinly sliced strips of sirloin (which I was careful not to overcook) and prepared the usual side combo of raw bean sprouts, mint and basil leaves with some lemon wedges (a typical accompaniment to this dish). And voila, the vietnamese beef pho is ready to be served.