Beef pho soup

Ingredients:

Pho soup

• 1.3 kg beef bones (preferably with joints)
• 1 kg oxtails, cut into 2.5 cm thick pieces.
• 700 g of beef shoulder blade
• 1 large unpeeled onion, halved through the root
• 220 g unpeeled ginger, cut in half lengthwise
• 1/4 cup fish sauce
• 4 whole cloves
• 4 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 30 g of yellow candy sugar (candis) or 2 tbsp of granulated sugar
• 1 package 220 g of dry rice vermicelli
• 450 g thinly sliced ​​rump steak
• Special equipment: fine sieve

For serving

• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced ​​onion
• 0.5 cup bean sprouts
• 0.5 cup Thai basil leaves
• 2 limes, cut into wedges
• Sriracha sauce or sambal-olek
• Hoisin sauce, for serving

Preparation:

1. Place the beef bones, oxtail, neck, and 1 tablespoon of salt in a large saucepan and add cold water to cover the meat by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook until foam rises to the surface, about 10 minutes. Drain the bones and meat in a colander and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
2. Wash the pot, add the bones and meat, and add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, skimming off any foam from the surface.
3. Meanwhile, grill the onion and ginger over an open flame until they're blackened on both sides. Alternatively, place them on a foil-lined baking sheet and grill them in the oven, turning once, until well-charred, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the onion, ginger, fish sauce, cloves, anise, cinnamon, black peppercorns, and rock candy to the pan and continue simmering. Skim off any fat and foam from the surface of the broth regularly. Add water as needed during simmering to keep the bones submerged.
5. Cook until meat is easily pierced with a knife, 3 1/2 to 4 hours.
6. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the meat and bones from the pot to a rimmed baking sheet. Discard any large bones and let the meat and oxtails cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, strain the broth through a sieve into a clean saucepan and keep it hot over medium heat. You should have about 12 cups of broth. Place the rice noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water.
8. Let the noodles soak until soft, 10 to 15 minutes, then drain and divide the noodles into 6 deep bowls.
9. Remove the oxtail meat from the bones and divide it among the noodle bowls. Thinly slice the neck across the grain and divide among the bowls. Arrange thin slices of rump steak on top, then pour in the hot broth.
10. Sprinkle with cilantro and chives and serve with bean sprouts, basil, lime, Sriracha and hoisin sauce.
    
    Note
    
    Yellow rock sugar can be found at Asian markets and online. It can be substituted with granulated sugar.