Recipe: Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup

Ingredients

• 2 beef shanks, and 2 lbs oxtails
• 1 tbsp oil
• 1 onion
• 2 whole cloves
• 6 clove garlic
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp whole coriander
• 1 cardamom pod
• 6 whole star anise
• 6-inch piece ginger sliced
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 quarts water
• In the bowl
• rice noodles
• bean sprouts
• sliced jalapenos
• sambal chili sauce
• fresh lime wedges
• fresh herbs - basil- mint cilantro
• optional - thinly sliced raw beef tenderloin

Instructions

Step 1

Add a tbsp of oil into a pan, cook 2 beef shanks for a few minutes, then add in 1 onion
2 whole cloves, 6 clove garlic, 1 bay leaf, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp whole coriander,
1 cardamom pod, 6 whole star anise, 6-inch piece ginger sliced (browned with the beef), 2 tbsp sugar,
1 tbsp soy sauce, 3 quarts water.

Step 2

Cook until boil, then simmer on very low heat for 5-6 hours.
When the meat is off the bone, it is done.

Step 3

For noodle, cook it by pouring hot water on it. sit for 5 minutes. drain, rinse with cold water.

Step 4

To finish the noodle soup, add some bean sprouts in a serving bowl, followed by the noodles, sliced jalapenos,
sambal chili sauce, fresh lime wedges, fresh herbs - basil, mint and/or cilantro.

Step 5

Pour the soup into the serving bowl. Eat with chopstick and spoon.