Cook: Homemade Phở

Preparation time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 10.5 hours slow cooker; 3 hours pressure cooker
Total time: 11 hours slow cooker; 3.5 hours pressure cooker
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1.5 Onions
2 Shallots
1 piece of Ginger
3 cloves of Garlic
1.5 lbs of Beef bones
5 pieces of Star anise
1 Amomum costatum
2 finger sticks of Cinnamon
1.5 tsps of Coriander seeds
1.5 tsps of Fennel seeds
6 pieces of Clove
3 Cilantro roots
2 cups of Chicken broth
2.5 tsps of Salt
4 tsps of Sugar
0.5 tsp of MSG
0.5 tsp of Fish sauce
3.5 qts of Water
2 Green onions
1 lb of Beef
1 lb of Phở noodles
Hoisin sauce, sriracha, for dipping
Pepper, basil, and cilantro as desired

Step 1: Bone broth
Boil the Beef bones for 3 minutes then wash thoroughly. Either Slow cook these bones with 3.5 qts of water and 1 tsp of salt, 1 tsp of sugar for 8 hours OR pressured cook on high setting for 30 minutes then Natural release. Turn to warm setting when finish.

Step 2: Soup base
Roast the whole onion, shallots and ginger for a few minutes until fragrant. Cut and wash the burnt off section then cut the onion to 2, slice the ginger to 6–8 pieces. Put them all in the finished bone broth. Roast amomum costatum, cinnamon, star anises, coriander seeds, cloves, fennel seeds then put them all in a fabric bag. Tie tightly and place in the bone broth. Add cilantro roots into the bone broth. Add 1.5 tsp salt and 3 tsp sugar. Cook this soup base on low fire for 2 hours then let it cool (can be over night). Remove all onion, shallots, ginger, spice bag, cilantro root afterwards.

Step 3: Serving
Heat the soup base up on medium fire. Dip Phở noodles in the boiling soup base for 2 minutes, until soft (but not too soft). Place noodles into a large bowl, set sliced beef on top then sliced onion, cut green onion with 1/8 tsp of MSG and 1/8 tsp of fish sauce. Pour boiling soup base on top.

Garnish with basil and cilantro and top with pepper (optional). Serve with Hoisin sauce and sriracha on the side.