Vietnamese Noodle Soup

Ingredients

Broth

2 onions
1 large ginger
2.5 kg of beef bones, best would be knuckle and leg
6 Ls of cold water
8 star anise (Asian spice)
1 cinnamon stick
1 Tbsp fennel seeds
2 cardamom pods
8 whole cloves
1.5 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup fish sauce
2 Tbsp sugar
Gauze cloth for spices

Garnish

1 kg rice noodles
1-2 kg lean meat, rib eye.
1 bunch coriander
1 bunch Thai basil
450g of bean sprouts
1 onion
Sriracha sauce* (hot sauce)
Hoisin sauce*

*For these you may need to find an Asian grocery store.

Method

Place a small pan over low heat and cook star anise, cinnamon, cardamom pods, cloves and fennel seeds for 5 minutes. Put spices in gauze and tie at the top.

Slice onions and place with ginger onto a baking tray. Brush with cooking oil and cook on the highest rack for 15 minutes until charred.

While onions are baking, fill a stock pot with water, bring it to the boil and add bones. Keeping the pot on a strong boil, cook for 10 minutes.

Make sure to check on onions and ginger. At this point they should be close to charred.

Drain pot and rinse bones. Refill pot with bones and add 6 litres of cold water. Bring this to boil and reduce it to simmer. Fat will rise to the top, make sure to take it off with a ladle.

Once the bones are boiling, add onions, sugar, fish sauce, salt and spice pack. Simmer, uncovered for up to 4 hours.

Once done, strain broth into a large pot and taste. If more flavour is needed, add a pinch of salt 1 Tbsp of sugar and 2 Tbsp of fish sauce and simmer again until happy with taste.

Place the lean meat for the garnish in the freezer for 15-20 minutes and slice it as thin as possible against the grain.

Cook noodles as per packet instructions. Bring broth to boil again.

Slice the onion, coriander, basil and bean sprouts.

Once broth is at the boil, fill each bowl with cooked noodles, onions, coriander, basil and bean sprouts. Add the sliced meat from the freezer to the centre of the bowl.

Ladle broth into each bowl, the broth will cook the beef from the freezer.

Garnish your Vietnamese noodle soup with desired sauces and lime wedges to taste.