Name: Vietnamese Pho
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 2 Onions, large, halved; 150 g Ginger, sliced down the center; 10 Star anise; 4 Cinnamon quills; 4 Cardamom pods; 3 Cloves, whole spice cloves; 1.5 tbsp Coriander seeds; 1.5 kg Beef brisket, or 3 lb; 1 kg Meaty beef bones, or 2 lb; 1 kg Marrow bones, leg or knuckle, cut to reveal marrow (or 2 lb); 3.5 l Water, or 15 cups; 2 tbsp White sugar; 1 tbsp Salt; 40 ml Fish sauce, or 3 tbsp; 50 g Dried rice sticks, or 1.5 oz, or 120g/4oz fresh; 30 g Beef tenderloin, raw, very thinly sliced; 3-5 slices Cooked brisket, sliced, reserved from broth; 1 handful Beansprouts; 3-5 sprigs Thai basil; 3-5 sprigs Cilantro, or coriander, or more basil; Lime, wedges; Red chili, finely sliced; Hoisin sauce, for serving; Sriracha, for serving

Method

8 steps. Tap one to mark it done.

Get a heavy skillet hot over high heat without using any oil until it begins to smoke. Put the onion and ginger into the pan with their cut sides facing down. Sear for several minutes until blackened, then flip them over. Take them out of the skillet and put them aside.
Gently toast the star anise, cinnamon quills, cardamom pods, cloves, and coriander seeds in an ungreased skillet over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, then set them aside.
Wash the bones and brisket, place them in a large stockpot, and submerge them in water. Let the mixture boil for 5 minutes, then pour off the water and rinse the brisket along with every bone under running tap water to clean off any scum.
Clean the pot by wiping it out, then boil 3.5 liters (3.75 quarts) of water. Transfer the bones, brisket, charred onion, ginger, toasted spices, sugar, and salt into the pot. Ensure the water level is just high enough to submerge everything. Put a lid on the pot and let it simmer softly for 3 hours.
Take out the brisket, which must be tender enough to fall apart easily, allow it to cool, and store it in the refrigerator so you can slice it later. Continue to simmer the rest of the broth without a lid for another 40 minutes.
Pour the liquid through a strainer into a different pot, throwing away the bones and spices. This should yield approximately 2.5 liters (10 cups) of liquid; boil it further to reduce if you have significantly more than this. Mix in the fish sauce and refine the flavor with extra salt and sugar as preferred.
Cook the rice noodles following the directions on the packet right before you are ready to serve.
To put the dish together, transfer the warm noodles into a serving bowl. Arrange the raw beef tenderloin and pieces of the prepared brisket on top. Pour roughly 400 ml (14 oz) of bubbling hot soup over the meat so that the raw beef cooks to medium-rare. Present right away with the garnishes on a separate plate.