Hanoi-Style Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò Hà Nội)
A clear, deeply beefy Hanoi-style phở broth made from marrow bones and brisket, with charred onion and ginger, dried sandworms (sá sùng) and a toasted phở spice bag.
Ingredients
Broth
- 4 lb beef marrow bones
- 2 lb beef brisket 1 piece
- 6 qt water plus more for parboiling
- 2 yellow onions charred
- 1 large knob ginger about 4 inches, charred
- ¾ oz dried sandworms (sá sùng) about 20 g, toasted
- 1½ tablespoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 small chunk rock sugar about 1 oz
- 1 teaspoon MSG
Spice bag
- 2 tablespoon phở spice mix star anise, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, coriander seed
- 1 spice bag or cheesecloth
To season
- 3 tablespoon fish sauce to taste
- kosher salt to taste
To serve
- 2 lb fresh flat rice noodles (bánh phở)
- green onions sliced
- ½ white onion thinly sliced
- cilantro chopped
- lime wedges
- Thai chilies or chili vinegar
Instructions
Prep the bones and brisket
- Parboil: Put the marrow bones and brisket in a large pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil hard for 5–10 minutes to release the impurities.
- Wash and clean: Drain, then rinse the bones and brisket under running water to remove any scum. Scrub out the pot.
- Char the aromatics: Char the onions and ginger over an open flame or under the broiler until blackened in spots. Peel off any burnt skin and rinse.
Make the broth
- Start the broth: Return the bones and brisket to the clean pot, add 6 qt water and bring to a boil.
- Add aromatics and seasoning: Add the charred onions, charred ginger and dried sandworms, then the kosher salt, rock sugar and MSG.
- Skim: Keep at a boil and skim off any scum that rises to the top.
- Simmer: Lower to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 hours.
- Remove the brisket: Take out the brisket, rinse it and freeze it briefly so it's easier to slice thinly.
- Keep simmering: Let the bones keep cooking for another 3 hours.
- Strain: Remove the bones, onions and ginger, then strain the broth to remove impurities.
Spice and season
- Toast the spices: Toast 2 tablespoon phở spice mix in a dry pan until fragrant, then add to a spice bag.
- Infuse: Add the spice bag to the broth and cook for 30 minutes.
- Season: Season with more salt and fish sauce to taste, then remove the spice bag.
Assemble
- Blanch the rice noodles and divide among bowls. Top with thinly sliced brisket, green onions, white onion and cilantro, then ladle over the hot broth. Serve with lime and chilies.
Notes
Marrow bones: I like the beef marrow bones from Weee!.
Sá sùng: Dried sandworms are the secret to the sweet, savory depth of Hanoi phở. Look for them at Vietnamese grocery stores, and toast them before adding to the broth.