Vietnamese Beef Rib Pho

Ingredients

• 4 lb Beef ribs and soup bones (Use meaty beef ribs with bones; parboil before making the broth.)
• 16 cup Water (Use enough to cover the ribs and bones, adding more after the ribs are removed.)
• 2 Yellow onion (One onion for the broth, charred; reserve the other for serving, thinly sliced.)
• 1 piece Fresh ginger (About 3 inches; char until toasted but not burnt.)
• 1 lb Daikon radish (Peel and cut into large pieces.)
• 2 tsp Salt (Use initially and adjust to taste.)
• 1 tbsp Rock sugar or palm sugar (The source used palm sugar because rock sugar was unavailable; adjust to taste.)
• 1 Cinnamon stick (For the spice mixture.)
• 3 Star anise (For the spice mixture.)
• 1 tsp Coriander seeds (For the spice mixture.)
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds (For the spice mixture.)
• 5 Whole cloves (For the spice mixture.)
• 3 tbsp Pho concentrate or pho soup base (The source used Vietnamese pho concentrate; soup base may be substituted. Amount is an estimate—follow the product's instructions and adjust to taste.)
• 3 tbsp Fish sauce (Adjust along with the salt or MSG.)
• 1 tsp MSG (Optional seasoning mentioned in the source; use with or instead of some salt.)
• 1.5 lb Dried rice noodles (Cook or soak according to package directions, then drain.)
• 3 cup Bean sprouts (Blanch briefly before serving.)
• 4 Green onions (Thinly slice for serving.)
• 0.5 cup Cilantro (Chop or leave in sprigs for serving.)
• 2 Lime (Cut into wedges.)
• 0.5 cup Hoisin sauce (Serve at the table.)
• 0.25 cup Sriracha (Serve at the table; use as much as desired.)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the beef ribs and bones in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes to clean the bones and meat and remove impurities.

2. 2

   Drain the beef and discard the parboiling water. Rinse the ribs and bones thoroughly under cool running water, and rinse out the pot to remove the gray residue.

3. 3

   Char one yellow onion and the ginger using a broiler, air fryer, or direct stove flame. Turn them as needed until their surfaces are deeply toasted and fragrant, but not burnt. Rinse or scrape away any loose blackened skin if necessary.

4. 4

   Peel and cut the daikon into large chunks. Add the rinsed beef ribs and bones, charred onion, charred ginger, and daikon to the clean stockpot.

5. 5

   Add fresh water to cover the ingredients. Season the broth initially with salt and rock sugar, substituting palm sugar if desired.

6. 6

   Bring the pot to a boil, then reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 4 hours, or until the meat is very tender and loosens easily from the bones.

7. 7

   During the long simmer, repeatedly skim fat and gray foam or other impurities from the surface. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer rather than a vigorous boil so it stays as clear as possible.

8. 8

   While the broth cooks, lightly toast the cinnamon, star anise, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and cloves in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until fragrant. Do not burn the spices.

9. 9

   Remove the tender beef ribs from the broth and set them aside. Add more water to the pot if needed to restore the broth volume.

10. 10

    Add the lightly toasted spices to the broth. Season with pho concentrate or pho soup base, fish sauce, and additional salt or MSG. Taste carefully and adjust the balance to your preference.

11. 11

    Continue simmering the seasoned broth for 30 minutes so the toasted spices infuse it.

12. 12

    Remove the charred onion and ginger, reserving the daikon pieces if you plan to serve them. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all of the whole spices and solids.

13. 13

    Prepare the rice noodles according to the package directions. Drain them well, then divide them among serving bowls.

14. 14

    Blanch the bean sprouts briefly in boiling water, then drain. Add the bean sprouts and pieces of the reserved daikon to the bowls.

15. 15

    Pull the beef from the ribs into serving-sized pieces, or serve the ribs whole if preferred. Arrange the beef over the noodles and daikon.

16. 16

    Bring the strained broth back to a steaming simmer and ladle it over the noodles and beef. Top with thinly sliced yellow onion, green onion, and cilantro.

17. 17

    Serve immediately with lime wedges, hoisin sauce, and sriracha at the table so each person can season their bowl to taste.

Notes

Quantities were not provided in the source, so the amounts are practical estimates for six servings. Continuously skim the broth for the clearest result, and adjust the pho concentrate, fish sauce, salt, MSG, and sugar to taste. Serve the noodles and garnishes separately from the broth until plating so the noodles do not become overcooked.

Nutrition per serving

• main
• soup
• Vietnamese
• beef
• noodles
• slow-simmered
• family-style
• dairy-free