Pho does a body good
This was the second time I made pho. The first time I made this, the taste was delicious but I felt the broth needed more body to it. This time around, i added the beef concentrate. It totally made the difference and added the body I was looking for in the broth. Traditionally, the broth is made of bones, tendon and brisket. Boiled over night at low heat. Who the fuck has time to do that? I have dinosaurs to name, forts to build, making sure both boys use soap when washing and whole bunch of other shit that needs to get done. So, needless to say, the shortcut saved the time and on the gas bill. Note, the addition of the beef concentrate will alter the salt content so taste and salt accordingly!
Ingredients:
Meat:
Ox Tail, dual pack bought at Costco
1 NY Strip, 2” thick
Seasoning and Aromatics:
Roasted on the burners:
Ginger Root
Onion
Shallot
Placed in cheese cloth:
2 sticks of Cinammon
15ish Star Anise
10-15 cloves
1-2 Tablespoons of Coriander seeds (you can use powdered added to the water)
8-12 Tablespoons of Fish Sauce
NaCl to taste…you can use additional fish sauce, soy sauce and or hoisin sauce
Garnish:
Diced scallion
Dices Cilantro
Shredded Carrots
Vegetables:
Kale
Carrots (if you do not want it as a garnish)
Noodles:
Rice Noodles are traditional, I think I’m using Ramen
Cheat:
1 Tablespoon of Better than Bullion Beef Flavor. If you do not have time to stew the meat, traditionally the meat is stewed for 1-2days, this is a nice shortcut.
Note:
I am using an 8qt Instapot! Once the meat has been placed in the pot, I added 75ish oz of water which is approximately 2-2.5qts.
Instructions:
Take your stock pot and start to boil water for the blanch! The pot should be big enough to put ALL the meat.
Once the water is at a boil, blanch the meat for 10-15min
Skim off the scum periodically!
Once blanched, strain out the meat rinse, and throw out the water.
While you are boiling the water for the blanch, prepare and flame roast aromatics!
Onions, peeled and split (If small, peel and roast whole)
Shallots, peeled and split
Ginger, skin on and sliced
Place into a cheese cloth satchel tie off with Butcher’s twine:
Cinnamon Sticks
Star Anise
Cloves
Coriander seeds
Place blanched meat, roasted aromatics, and satchel to the pot. Add water to the max line in the Instapot, everything should be covered with fluid. Season with NaCl and fish sauce. You have not added the vegetables at this point. Set the timer for 1hour and 30minutes…read a book or do laundry.
Once the pressure cooker has done it’s magic, safely release the pressure by opening the release valve. Open the pressure cooker and taste the broth. Now is the time to adjust the taste, add the vegetables and close the pot up and let the heat do the job, no need to pressure cook again, if you are adding green leafy vegetables. If you are adding carrots, you may need to pressure cook for 3-5min to cook the carrots.
Cook your noodles. For the ramen, it is 3min in boiling water, strain and place in a bowl.
Dish out, garnish and enjoy!
The MEAT
I generally have oxtail in the chest freezer. Oxtail stew is a family favorite so I try to keep it in stock. NY Strip was also available as we had that several months ago. If you are wondering both were purchased at Costco.
Garnish! Diced Scallions
Finely dice these spring onions. The people you are serving can choose how much or little…no judgement if they don’t use the garnish.
Cilantro…
Yeah…they should be finely diced but I was rushing. It is what happens when you multitask.
Post 1 hour and a half
First taste test. Added at this point: fish sauce and coriander (forgot to add initially). Note the chard ginger and satchel.
The finish product..
So delish! Well received and will be a staple on The Menu!
This was truly fun to make as I have been hankering for that meaty Southeast Asian broth. I hope you give this one a shot and like all that recipes I posts, these are guidelines…
Experiment and make it your own!
T
