Phở

Phở Hà Nội là "rau thơm tươi, hồ tiêu bắc, giọt chanh cốm gắt, lại điểm thêm một chút cà cuống, thoảng nhẹ như một nghi ngờ." - Thạch Lam

         Having grown up in the old quarters of Hanoi, I have a sentimental tie with phở. I could eat phở in sickness and in health, morning noon or night. Phở had never been a big deal to me because it had always been there, available, waiting to be devoured. I used to take for granted the fact that a short stroll down the street would lead me to 49 Bát Đàn, a place known for nonexistent customer service and debatably the best phở in Hanoi. Being away from home awoke my yearning for the comforting slurps of umami-packed morning soup. The Cheerios I have for breakfast here, can't even compare.

         I'm a purist when it comes to phở. Like any national dish, the good old phở was diluted, violated, and distorted under the hammer of globalization. To put a spin on Jack Kerouac's words, the only phở for me is Hanoi phở, the phở that burns your tongue, unclogs your nose, blurs your vision, warms your heart with its harmonious marriage of flavors, the phở that is not marred by the interference of cloying hoisin sauce or poking bean sprouts, but burns burns burns with fabulous yellow quẩy being dunk liberally into the broth like Willy after being freed.

        Being a self-proclaimed phở snob is one thing, attempting to recreate phở is another. In the quest of capturing the most quintessential flavors of phở at home, I turned to the texts of Thạch Lam, Vũ Bằng, Tô Hoài, and Nguyễn Tuân to rekindle with my Hanoian root. The process was more of a spiritual connection to my past than merely whipping up a recipe. Nothing nudges my olfactory bulb to spark a furry of childhood nostalgia like the fragrant broth of steaming star anise and beef. Anthony Bourdain described the broth as a "shimmering, glistening, little globules of marrow, fat, and other goodness in the sea of limitless possibilities of loveliness."

        In architectural terms, if a bowl of phở is a free-facade house, then the broth is the pilotis that relieve the walls from load-bearing responsibility. In other words, one doesn't necessarily notice the broth when approaching a bowl of phở but without the broth, everything else would crumble to the ground. A full-bodied solid broth calls for a detailed plan of mile-long ingredients list, labor, and patience.

Beef bone marrow and oxtail 

Par-boil the bones for 10 minutes. Dump all the water and wash the bones to discard the impurities. Put the bones back into the pot and fill with water. Add salt and below spices. Simmer lid-free on low heat for at least 3 hours. Check back every once in a while to discard bubbles to ensure clear broth. Traditional phở broth is cooked over night. In college, I call it a fire hazard. I let mine simmer for 5 hours. Turned out not too shabby.

Cinnamon - Cardamom - Coriander seed
Star anise - Clove - Fennel seed

Roast the spices for a few minutes until fragrant. Put them in a cheesecloth or teabag and drop into the pot.

Spices - Charred Onion and Ginger (photo from the internet)
Palm Sugar - Chopped Scallion, poached Scallion, Lime

Flavor profile of the broth: beefy bones, smoky charred onion and ginger, earthy sweetness of palm sugar, and pungent scallion. Round everything up with a splash of lime for an acidic note and of course, the well-loved asian concoction, Sriracha.

Raw Tri Tip steak - Brisket

Add the meat at the end, right before pouring the broth.

Fresh Rice Noodle

I used fresh rice sticks instead of dry. The difference is worth it.

Of course, a runny poached egg will brighten every bowl of noodle soup.

And for the masochistic souls who entertain the idea of trying this at home, here's the shopping list. Makes 15 bowls of phở (result of my attempt to feed the entire MIT VSA)

Butcher section:

+ 6-8 lbs (3-4 pack) of beef bone marrow 

+ 1 pack of oxtail (optional because although it's the secret to authentic Hanoi pho, it is also hard to find)

+ 2 lbs of beef to be cooked in broth: rump, chuck, brisket, or shank (any of these would do but make sure the beef is on the fatty side, pick a variety for different textures)

+ 1 lb of beef to be sliced on the bowl: either flank steak, london broil, sirloin, eye of round or tri-tip

Spice/condiment section:

+ cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, clove, coriander seed, fennel seed

Note: You either buy these spices separately or try to look for pho spice packets that has all of the above spices (in that case, buy 2 packets). Don't buy the Pho spice paste as it won't taste authentic.

+ 1-2 cartons of beef broth

+ fish sauce

+ sriracha

+ yellow rock sugar or palm sugar

Produce section:

+ 3 medium yellow onions (about 1.5 lbs)

+ 2 pieces of ginger

+ 6-8 scallions

+ 4-6 limes