Beef Noodle Soup (Vietnamese Pho Bo Soup)

One of the most popular Vietnamese dishes, nourishing and delicious pho will cure what ails you. This version comes chock full of rich beef broth, flat rice noodles, and enough garnishes to outfit a salad bar. Serve the garnishes on a platter alongside the bowls of pho so everyone can dress their own bowls to taste, for a restaurant-style experience.

Beef Broth:
1 small onion, chopped
1 (2") stick ginger
2 lbs beef bones
12 cups water
6 star anise
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 lb beef (lean and tender)

Noodles:
1 (16 oz) pkg flat rice noodles (pho)

Accompaniments:
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
10 sprigs cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup bean sprouts
10 sprigs basil
10 sprigs fresh culantro (ngo gai)
1 fresh red or green chile pepper, thinly sliced

Garnish:
lime or lemon quarters
fish sauce
hoisin sauce
hot chile sauce

Broil the onion and ginger until they look burned. Using the back of a cleaver, smash the ginger and set aside.

Wash beef bones, place in a large soup pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil and immediately pour off this "first boiling" water and discard. Add another 12 cups of fresh water and again bring to a boil. Skim off foam.

Add the broiled onion and ginger, star anise, salt and sugar. Over medium-low heat, simmer for 30 minutes. Slice raw beef into thin strips and set aside.

Remove bones from broth and strain out vegetables and seasonings.

Soak noodles in cold water for 10 minutes. Drain. In a soup pot bring two quarts fresh water to a boil. Add drained noodles and cook seven minutes at a rolling boil, stirring occasionally until noodles are tender.

Rinse noodles under cold running water and set aside.

Return the broth to a boil over high heat.

Divide noodles among 4-6 large individual serving bowls. Arrange thinly sliced raw beef, scallions, onion and cilantro on top. Pour boiling hot broth to cover noodles and serve immediately. The boiling broth will cook the thin slices of beef.

Pho is always accompanied by bean sprouts, basil leaves, cilantro and chile pepper. Serve with lime or lemon quarters, fish sauce, hoisin sauce and hot chile sauce.

Makes 4-6 servings.