Ingredients
- 1 package pho seasoning spice mix (gia vi nau pho)* includes:
- 12-14 6qt 12 using a 6qt pressure cooker and a 12 qt stock pot
- Ingredients
- For the broth
- 5 5 5 lbs of oxtail
- 1 1 1 lb of beef bones
- 1 1 to medium to large onion
- 1 1 1 hand-sized piece of ginger
- 1 1 1 daikon
- 5 5 1/2" cubes of rock sugar (the cubes I used were about 1/2" large)
- 1 1 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 4 4 whole star anise pods
- 1 1 1 cardamom pod
- 3/4 3/4 3/4 tablespoon whole cloves
- 2 2 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
- 2 2 2 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
- 1.5 2.5 1.5 2.5 1.5 - 2.5 cups fish sauce (get the Three Crabs brand - it is widely available at Chinese/Vietnamese supermarkets)
- 2 2 to to of pho gà spice cubes (the gà refers to chicken flavor as opposed to just regular beef flavored cubes. It is also widely available at Chinese/Vietnamese supermarkets)
- salt
- water
- See notes above regarding seasonings used
- For the toppings and noodles**
- rice stick noodles, preferably the fresh kind if available
- to sliced cuts of beef (I like to use different cuts of sukiyaki/shabu shabu meats)
- fresh thai basil
- fresh cilantro (optional)
- chopped green onions (optional)
- fresh sawtooth herb (ngò gai, optional)
- bag bag of bean sprouts
- hoisin sauce
- Sriracha hot chili sauce
- lime wedges
Preparation
Step 1
Rinse oxtail pieces and beef bones. Soak the oxtail in a pot of cold water for at least 30 minutes, up to one hour to get rid of the blood. While the oxtail is soaking, spread the beef bones on a baking sheet and sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. Broil the bones in the oven for about 10 minutes.
Wash and dry the onion and ginger. Remove the top and end of the onion, and any dirt ends of the ginger you can't wash off. Over an open gas flame, roast the onion and ginger until fragrant and blistering/blackened, using tongs to rotate. If you do not have a gas stove, you can try roasting/broiling in the oven and turning it to blister evenly but it may take 20-30 minutes to do so.
Once the oxtail is done soaking, pour off the dirty water and rinse the meat again. Lightly sprinkle salt over all the pieces and rub it in. Place a layer of oxtail at the bottom of your pressure cooker pot, and then layer the spice packet, pho seasoning cubes, rock sugar, onion, ginger, and beef bones in next. Top with the remaining oxtail and pour one cup of fish sauce into the pot. Fill with water up to the max line of your pressure cooker pot and set it on high pressure for 20 minutes, 25 minutes if your oxtail pieces are exceptionally large (meat/stew setting on Instapot).
Once the pressure cooking is done, release the steam and transfer contents carefully into a large stock pot (I used a 12 qt stock pot). Peel and slice the daikon into 1.5" disks and add it to the stock pot along with about 4 qts of water. Adjust fish sauce seasoning as desired, adding 1/8 cup at a time. I ended up adding an additional half cup in addition to the 1 cup used in the pressure cooker. Cover, leaving lid ajar, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower heat and simmer for at least an hour, or until you are ready to serve (by the time I served it, it had simmered for about 2hrs).
When you are ready to serve, bring the broth up to a soft boil. Wash and dry the fresh herbs, slice the lime into wedges, and blanch the bean sprouts. Arrange these toppings on a serving plate for people to add as they see fit. Cook rice noodles according to package instructions and arrange in large, deep bowls. Place several thin slices of beef in a single layer over the noodles and ladle hot broth over it to cook the beef. Serve immediately (daikon and oxtail can be served separately in communal bowl or you can put in each bowl). Add lime juice, herbs, and bean sprouts to taste and dip the meat into Sriracha and hoisin sauces as you like (some people like to directly add some of the sauces to the soup too!).