Ba Bay Pho Bo
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Course: Soup
- Features: Make-Ahead Recipes
Summary:
If you've made a pho broth before, you might find this one is saltier and somewhat fattier. That is intentional, says Ba Bay chef Nick Sharpe. Those elements help flavor the noodles and other garnishes in the resulting bowl of soup, which at the restaurant is generously portioned (about 3 cups per serving).
Do not skip the step of scrubbing the bones; it helps eliminate impurities that make the broth cloudy. Culantro and rice paddy herb have distinctive flavors and can be found at Asian markets. There are no exact substitutes for either.
MAKE AHEAD: The broth can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. If you wish to skim off/discard congealed fat, try to leave at least 1/4 inch of it. Reheat the broth gently over medium heat so that it is gurgling intermittently and you can see a sheen of fat on the surface. The broth can be frozen for a few months, but it loses some of its spice notes. Reheat with a sachet of fresh ginger and shallot.
Makes about 20 cups (6 to 7 servings)
Ingredients:
For the broth- 8 pounds beef bones, scrubbed well (see headnote)
- 1 pound peeled fresh ginger root, cut into chunks
- 10 peeled shallots
- 8 quarts water
- 1/4 cup kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 cup rock sugar crystals
- 14 whole star anise
- Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
- 2 whole black cardamom pods
- 14 to 16 ounces fresh bean sprouts
- 1 medium white or red onion, or a combination of white onion, red onion and shallot, cut into very thin slices
- 2 medium jalapeno peppers, stemmed but not seeded, cut crosswise into very thin slices (about 4 slices per serving)
- 60 to 70 culantro leaves, torn in half (10 per serving; see headnote)
- 60 to 70 rice paddy herb leaves (10 per serving; see headnote)
- Leaves from 1/2 to 1 bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped (6 or 7 tablespoons)
- 4 or 5 scallions, white and light-green parts, cut crosswise into thin slices (3 to 3 1/2 tablespoons)
- 12 to 14 ounces rice noodles (2 ounces per serving; cooked in boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds and strained)
- 6 to 7 ounces fresh tripe, cut into very thin slices (1 ounce per serving)
- 24 to 28 ounces fresh eye of round or top sirloin, trimmed of fat and cut into very thin slices (4 ounces per serving
Directions:
Combine the bones, ginger and shallots in a large (10-gallon) pot and cover with the water. Bring to a boil over high heat; skim off any gray scum that appears on the surface. Reduce the heat to medium or medium-low (as needed), then stir in the salt and rock sugar crystals. Cook uncovered for 8 to 10 hours, skimming occasionally to get rid of scum.
Add the star anise, cinnamon sticks and cardamom; cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer or chinoise. Discard the solids. The yield should be about 20 cups. Either transfer to a separate large pot and heat to just below boiling, or cool completely, cover and refrigerate.
To serve, place the desired garnishes in individual bowls. Pour the hot broth over them. Serve immediately.
Recipe Source:
From Nick Sharpe, chef at Ba Bay on Capitol Hill.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)
