Chopped coriander, spring onion, mint, basil and chili
Lime slices
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat broiler (top heating element to the highest heat). Place ginger and onion on a baking sheet and broil on the highest rack for 20 to 30 minutes until charred, flipping them once. Remove from oven and set aside.
Place beef bones and meat in a large pot. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Continue to let it boil vigorously (over high heat) for 10 minutes, then drain and discard the water. Rinse the beef bones and meat well to remove any scum. Clean the pot and place the beef bones and meat back into the pot.
Add in 3 litres of water into the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add in the broiled onion and ginger, spring onion, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds, fish sauce, rock sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to a rolling boil, then cover and continue to boil over medium to medium-low heat. The stock should constantly be on a gentle rolling boil during the whole period of cooking.
After 1.5 hours, remove the beef meat. Continue to boil for another 2 to 2.5 hours. Check the water level regularly - if it's getting too dry, reduce the heat and/or top up with hot boiling water. Drain the stock into another clean pot, discarding the solids. Top up with water or reduce the stock until you have about 1 to 1.5 litres of stock left. Taste the stock and adjust with salt or fish sauce.
Dipping Sauce
Combine rice vinegar and sriracha sauce in the ratio 2:1 (e.g. 2 tablespoons rice vinegar:1 tablespoon sriracha sauce). Add more rice vinegar or water to taste.
Assembly
Let the beef meat cool completely before slicing it against the grain thinly.
Boil rice noodles until softened according to package's instructions, drain and rinse under cold water. Divide the rice noodles among 4 bowls. Place the beef slices and raw bean sprouts on top of the noodles.
Bring the stock into a rolling boil and pour it over the rice noodles. Serve immediately with the condiment/dipping sauce, allowing your guests to add their own amount of coriander, spring onion, mint, basil, chili and lime into their own soup.
NOTES
- You can also add shabu-shabu raw beef on top of the rice noodles before pouring the hot soup over.- Adapted from Serious Eats