Pho Stock

This is my recipe for Pho, my favourite Vietnamese noodle soup.

Ingredients:

Broth:

4 lbs smoked ham bones

4 qts water

1 Tbs vinegar

1 inch fresh ginger sliced

1 tsp anise seed

2 1/2 Tbs fish sauce

2 tsp salt

2 green onions sliced

8 white mushrooms sliced

Directions:

First note the water is approximate, if you have some more room in your pot you can add in a bit more water but don't exceed 5 qts.

Well this isn't a difficult recipe just a time consuming one.  Put everything in a large pot.  Bring it to a boil then let simmer 6 to 8 hours.  Remove the bones from the stock.  If you'd like to reduce the fat then refrigerate the stock and scoop the fat off once it hardens.

The Twist:

Okay so you have your stock what do you put in it?  Well there's no hard and fast rule so I'll list out various things I like to put in my pho.  Whenever you are serving Pho assemble it by the bowl then laddle on some boiling stock.  By the time it cools enough to eat everything will be cooked perfectly.

What to put in Pho:

rice noodles (you pick what type but be sure to pre cook them to el denté)

beansprouts

fresh basil

fresh cilantro

green onion

more mushrooms

thinly sliced top sirloin beef

bok choy

broccoli stem

lime wedge

Hoisin sauce

Sriracha sauce