Recipe for Hanoian beef pho

Recipe for yummy Hanoian beef pho:
1. For broth: 1kg marrow bone, 1 big ginger root, 2 star anises, 2 cao-guo, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 gr coriander seeds/ roots, 1 gr fennel, 5 clove buds, 10gr pepper, 20gr dried peanut worms (optional), 2 white onions
2. For toppings and seasoning: 500gr chopped boneless shank, salt, sugar, Thai basil and scallion
3. Pho (rice noodles)
Pho is a "national specialty" of Vietnam, and is mispronounced by many foreigners. Pho is served with broth, fresh noodles and herbs. The ingredients combine to create a unique flavor in a delicious and well balanced dish. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

By the end of 2019, the American news-based pay television channel Cable News Network (CNN) has recently named two Vietnamese dishes, Pho and spring rolls, in its list of the world's 50 best foods. According to CNN, Pho, oft-mispronounced national dish is just broth, fresh rice noodles, a few herbs and usually chicken or beef. But it's greater than the sum of its parts - fragrant, tasty and balanced. Pho frequently features on CNN’s list of best dishes. In photo: The first step in cooking Vietnamese pho is to soak marrow bone in salted water with vinegar to ease its smell. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Vietnam has chosen December 12 every year as 'Pho Day' to honour the signature dish in Vietnamese cuisine. There have been countless articles, books, travel guides and comments from gastronomes, journalists, authors and tourists worldwide about pho. There's no disputing the popularity of this national dish, the latest example being just two months before the national 'Day of Pho' (December 12th), CNN ranked pho bo (beef noodle soup) as the 28th best food in the world. Pho bo (beef noodle) is a popular pho in the capital that lures mass dinners including foreign visitors. In photo: Coriander seeds/roots give the broth more scent. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Though its origins are disputed, historians believe phở was first made popular in Hanoi and Nam Dinh, two major northern cities, during the French colonial period. And we know that pho wasn’t invented in a restaurant. It began life on the side of the road, on the shoulders of street vendors who wandered the city with a big pot of both, always kept hot and ready with their mobile stoves. It was reinvented many times by vendors and home cooks with ingredients that were available to even the poorest, and it was shaped by the country’s turbulent history. In photo: After soaking marrow bones, put them into a water pot and boil in 10 minutes. Lift the bone out and clean it with cold water. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Until the 19th century, Vietnam was still largely an agricultural country. Cows were raised not as a source of food but to help out with land cultivation and rice farming. In order to protect the animals’ utility as farming aides, slaughtering them for meat was strictly forbidden and perpetrators were heavily punished if caught. At the beginning of the country’s French colonial period, consuming beef was a foreign practice. Locals either couldn’t afford it or had no desire to try it. By the 20th century, attitudes towards beef had changed, as people flocked to cities where they worked in offices and factories instead of fields. Pho became popular as successful street vendors opened their stores in big cities across the country. As if dictated by some rule, most stores are named after their founders in a single word, such as Pho Hien, Pho Thin or Pho Co. In photo: Stewing marrow bones in six to eight hours in five litres of water. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Though beef was once the most distinctive aspect of the dish, the most critical aspect is the broth. It’s always the first thing people taste when they tuck into a bowl. A good broth must be clear. It should carry the scent of herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cardamon, coriander seeds, cloves, star anise, onion and pepper as well as the taste of cow bones. Everything should be boiled for about six hours for all of the flavours to blend. In photo: Roasting star anises, cao-guo, cinnamon stick, coriander seeds/ roots, fennel, clove buds and soak in water to ease their smell (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

There are many theories regarding its origin. Some say it started as a variation on pot-au-feu, a French beef stew dish. Others believe it’s the heir to a Chinese beef noodle soup or to a traditional Vietnamese dish of noodles with buffalo meat. What is certain is that pho, a simple yet deceptively complex dish of noodles served with beef or chicken in a hot bowl of broth, has become Vietnam’s pride on the world map of cuisine. Pho bo (beef pho) has a strong flavour from the cow bones and aromatic herbs and spices such as cinnamon, cardamon, coriander seeds, cloves, star anise, onion and pepper. In photo: Tighting the roasted herbs and spices in a small bag and put it into the broth pot. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

When it comes to the broth, it’s almost love or hate at first taste. A good broth means the cook knows what he’s doing and takes the time and effort to get the dish right. During difficult times, pho has been served without meat. But the broth must always remain carefully prepared and richly flavourful. If you’re ever looking for an excellent bowl of phở, look for a place where people finish the broth when they’re done with the noodles and beef. In photo: Stewing onions ginger and peanut worms with marrow bones for four to five hours. Dropping the bag of spices into the broth pot and stew for two more hours. Season the broth with salt and sugar, but not fish sauce (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Pho bo (beef noodle) is a popular pho in the capital city of Hanoi that lures mass dinners including foreign visitors. What can be said about pho when everything from the beef to the broth and noodles has been discussed in god knows how many articles. Almost every angle has been covered. A bowl of pho contains flat, soft rice noodles dipped in a fragrant beef or chicken broth flavored with different condiments. It’s not going too far to say that phở was, is and always will be a symbol, not just a dish, for Vietnamese people. Pho is best served with chilli sauce and garlic vinegar. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

It is variable and always satisfying even though there are only two choices when it comes to the meat: chicken or beef. Since the original pho was made with beef (bo), some die-hard fans insist there is no other way to eat it. In the old days, pho stores closed on Mondays and Fridays because there was no supply of beef. However, Vietnamese people now can eat the dish all the time: for breakfast, lunch, dinner and as a late-night snack. Not unlike a super hero, pho comes with sidekicks. Two of the foods people love to eat with pho are eggs and Chinese crullers (oil sticks). (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)

Today, there have been more expensive variations and adaptations of the dish, with ingredients like foie gras, Kobe and Wagyu beef, which may cost up to 50-100 USD a bowl. But even after 200 years, one of the best places to have it is still on the side of the street. Nothing beats the chilling wind of winter better than a hot, street-side bowl of pho bought for 2 USD. Pho can be found everywhere and can be had anywhere. It remains a simple and widely affordable dish that carries both the history and identity of the people that create it. (Photo: Mai Mai/Vietnam+)