Recipe #360: Vietnamese Pho Noodles

Ingredients: 
1 kg Beef shin bones
350 g Gravy beef
5 cm Fresh ginger, thinly sliced into 2 in length
1 teaspoon Salt
2.5 liters Water
6 Black peppercorns
1 Cinnamon sticks
4 Cloves
6 Coriander seeds
2 tablespoons Nuoc cham sauce
400 g Thick fresh rice noodles
150 g Rump Steak, thiny sliced
3 Spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
1 Medium onion, very thinly sliced 

Procedure:

Place the bones, gravy beef, ginger, salt and water in a large pan. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer very gently, uncovered, for 3 1/2 hours.Skim off any scum that forms on the surface.

Add the peppercorns, cinnamon, cloves, coriander seeds and nuoc cham sauce. 

Cook for another 40 minutes. 

Remove the gravy beef and set it aside to cool. 

Drain the stock, reserving all the liquid and discarding the bones and spices. 

Return the liquid to the pan. 

When the gravy beef is cool enough to handle, cut it against the grain into very fine slices. Set aside. 

Close to serving time, plunge the noodles into a pan of boiling water and cook them for about 10 seconds only, otherwise they will soften and fall apart. Drain the noodles well and divide them among large individual soup bowls. Arrange the toppings on a platter in the centre of the table. 

Bring the beef stock to a rapid boil. 

Place some slices of the cooked meat as well as a few slices of the raw steak into each bowl of noodles. 

Ladle the boiling stock over the top, sprinkle over the spring onion (scallion) and onion slides and serve.