Vietnamese Pho (Soup)
Beef Noodle Pho

Sometimes, I omit the 1lb of beef meat in the broth (you'll see I've made it optional) - as I've found that as long as
I have good bones, the broth will have enough flavor to not need the extra beef meat.

Ingredients:

The Broth:

2 onions, halved
4" nub of ginger, halved lengthwise
5-6 lbs of good beef bones, preferably leg and knuckle
1 lb of beef meat - chuck, brisket, rump, cut into large slices [optional for stock making, use meat in a recipe
later in the week]
6 quarts of water
1 package of Pho spices [1 cinnamon stick, 1 tbl coriander seeds, 1 tbl fennel seeds, 5 star anise,
1 cardamom pod, 6 whole cloves - in mesh bag]
1 1/2 Tbls salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
1 Tbls of granulated splenda

The Bowls:

2 lbs rice noodles (dried or fresh) or choose to substitute Tofu Shirataki to reduce POINTS by 4 per serving.
1/2 lb flank, london broil, sirloin or eye of round, sliced as thin ias possible, cooked beef from the broth
Big handful of each: mint, cilantro, basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2-3 chili peppers, sliced
2 big handfuls of bean sprouts
Optional - Hoisin sauce
Optional - Cock sauce (Sriracha - chili hot sauce)

Char: Turn your broiler on high and move rack to the highest spot. Place ginger and onions on baking sheet.
Brush just a bit of cooking oil on the cut side of each. Broil on high until ginger and onions begin to char. Turn
over and continue to char. This should take a total of 10-15 minutes.

Parboil the bones: Fill large pot (12-qt capacity) with cool water. Boil water, and then add the bones, keeping
the heat on high. Boil vigorously for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the bones and rinse out the pot. Refill pot with bones
and 6 qts of cool water. Bring to boil over high heat and lower to simmer. Using a ladle or a fine mesh strainer,
remove any scum that rises to the top.

Boil broth: Add ginger, onion, spice packet, beef, sugar, fish sauce, salt and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours.
Remove the beef meat and set aside (you'll be eating this meat later in the bowls) Continue simmering for another
1 1/2 hours. Strain broth and return the broth to the pot. Taste broth and adjust seasoning - if you want a little more flavor, add a few dashes more of fish sauce, large pinch of salt and a large pinch of sugar substitute).

Prepare noodles & meat: Slice your flank/london broil/sirloin as thin as possible - try freezing for 15 minutes prior
to slicing to make it easier. Remember the cooked beef meat that was part of your broth? After making stock, pull
and refrigerate for a meal later in the week. Arrange all other ingredients on a platter for the table. Your guests will “assemble” their own bowls. Follow the directions on your package of noodles - there are many different sizes and widths of rice noodles, so make sure you read the directions. For some fresh rice noodles, just a quick 5 second
blanch in hot water is all that's needed. The package that I purchased (above) - needed about 45 seconds in boiling water.

Ladling: Bring your broth back to a boil. Line up your soup bowls next to the stove. Fill each bowl with rice noodles
and raw meat slices. As soon as the broth comes back to a boil, ladle into each bowl, the hot broth will cook your
raw beef slices. Serve immediately. Guests can garnish their own bowls as they wish.

Servings - Makes 8 servings
Per serving = 1/8recipe = POINTS® value 6*
or to sub Tofu Shirataki for Rice Noodles =
POINTS® value 2* per entire serving

ENJOY!!

*The POINT® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by TooMuchGirls and are not an endorsement or
approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc.,
the owner of the POINTS® registered trademark.

(back to TooMuchGirls)