Hello everyone, welcome back to "Amanda Tastes"
Today I will be making Vietnamese Pho
Have you read the article I've written on my trip to Vietnam?
Actually I've been eating pho noodles there for almost three meals a day
As the weather is hot and humid there
it's very suitable to eat pho
as the broth is very light but packed with flavours
So, today the beef pho I'll be making today will be using a lot of different spices
especially lemongrass, which is quite rare
You can get this from a lot of imported grocery stores
Fortunately I have planted this in my garden so I harvested one stalk
This is called "lemongrass" in English
Based on the name you could take a guess that it resembles the aroma of a lemon
It smells fresh and has a citrusy aroma to it
Now we'll start making the beef broth
I will be using ox bone, oxtail and beef shins
Turn on the heat and blanch the three cuts of meat to remove the scum
Rinse the cuts of meat thoroughly and drain them
Add water into the pot along with the ox bone, oxtail and beef shins
Bring down the heat to a gentle simmer after the water boils
Next we will prepare the rest of the spices and ingredients
Prepare the shallots
and also a slice of ginger
Remove the excess leaves from the lemongrass stalk and bruise it using the back of the knife like this
If you have this kind of grilling rack
slightly roast the shallots, lemongrass and ginger
Local Vietnamese people will roast these ingredients in an oven to enhance the flavour
Move the ingredients around to ensure both sides are charred well
You can also use a culinary torch or the oven if they're available
any method will do
Now, the ingredients are well charred and browned
Prepare a frying pan
and start roasting the cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, cloves and cumin
Turn on the flame and roast the spices until fragrant without adding oil
Be careful not to burn the spices
Then wrap these spices into a fine mesh sieve bag
Seal it up
Add it into the beef broth
Add salt and rock sugar to flavour
Simmer the broth using the lowest heat
and it's best not to boil the broth excessively
Remove the scum if necessary
As we're using three different parts beef cuttings at once
along with the addition of different spices and ingredients
hence this produces a rich beef broth
At the same time, using the lowest heat will produce a clearer broth
After stewing for about an hour
you can check the beef shins
If they are tender enough
remove them from the broth, cover them with a cling film and set them aside to chill
Continue stewing the beef broth for about 1-2 hours
Now the beef broth is almost ready
let's prepare the rest of the condiments
I've already completed the finishing touches to the rest of the condiments
which consists of thinly sliced shallots, spring onions, beansprouts, tabasco pepper, lime
holy basil, mint leaves and coriander
Additionally you can buy some of these beef balls
Slice them into halves
Slice the beef shin into thin slices
Add some fish sauce into the beef broth to adjust the saltiness
Remove the spice bag from the beef broth
Adjust the level of saltinesss according to your taste
You can see that the beef broth is very clear
Please don't have the misconception that only a thick milky broth will be packed full of flavour
Cook the halved beef balls in the broth
Cook the Vietnamese rice noodles in boiling water
It's best to use this type of flat and narrow rice noodles
It will take about 3-5 minutes
Remove them from heat and place them into a bowl
I've also prepared some beef slices
which is the type used in hot pots
Blanch and cook them in the same pot of water
On top of the rice noodles, arrange the beef slices
the sliced beef shins
halved beef balls
Sprinkle some shallots and chopped spring onions
Pour the beef broth over the noodles
along with the prepared condiments before serving
As the Vietnamese people like to add fresh spices and herbs into their cuisines
you can customize the condiments based on your personal preference
Before you start eating, feel free to add some coriander leaves, mint leaves, holy basil, raw beansprouts, tabasco peppers
Finally squeeze some lime juice to enhance the flavour
As long as the broth is well flavoured
it will still taste alright at the end
Alright so here is the end product of the Vietnamese beef pho
Lets try the broth that we've been stewing for a few hours
The broth tastes amazing
but it is light and not overly greasy
Remember to not put too much of the chillis at the end
Although it looks insignificant, it could be pretty spicy
Before this everytime I'm having pho at Vietnam I will sweat profusely
as I've put too much chillis
Alright so we've come to an end to today's programme and I hope you all will like this