Vietnamese Beef Pho

Put Beef bones in a big pot, cover generously with cold Water and bring to a hard boil. Boil for 10 min, then drain and rinse every bone under the tap until no scum is left. Wash the pot out too: this is what keeps the finished broth clear instead of cloudy and grey.

⚠ Tip: Do not skip this. The first boil pulls out the blood and impurities that would otherwise muddy the broth.

Hold Onions and Ginger cut-side down over a gas flame, or in a dry pan over high heat, until the cut faces are blackened and blistered in patches, about 10 min. You want real char, not a tan: that smokiness is a signature of the broth. Rub off the worst of the burnt skin but leave the colour.

⚠ Tip: Charring over an open flame is what gives pho its faint smoke. A dry pan works, but take it further than feels comfortable.

Dry-toast Star anise, Cassia bark, Cloves and Coriander seeds in a small pan over medium heat until they smell sweet and toasty, about 2 min. Tip them into a cloth or a tea strainer and tie it shut so the spices can be fished out later.

⚠ Tip: Spices go from fragrant to acrid fast. Pull them the moment the aroma hits you.

Return the bones to the clean pot with Beef brisket, the charred onion and ginger, spice bundle and 4.2 l fresh Water. Bring just to a bare simmer, then hold it there, skimming the surface every so often, for 3 h. The broth should tremble, never boil hard; a rolling boil emulsifies the fat and turns it cloudy.

⚠ Tip: If the level drops below the bones, top up with boiling water, never cold, which would stall the simmer.

After about 1 h 30 min the Beef brisket should be tender enough to pierce easily. Lift it out, cover and chill it completely, then slice it as thinly as you can against the grain. Chilling first makes clean, thin slices possible; a warm brisket shreds.

⚠ Tip: Slice the brisket just before serving so it does not dry out.

Strain the broth through a fine sieve into a clean pot and discard the solids. Stir in Vietnamese fish sauce, Yellow rock sugar and 1 tsp Salt. Taste: it should be savoury and deep with a faint sweetness underneath, not salty or flat. Adjust with a splash more fish sauce or sugar as needed and keep it at a bare simmer.

⚠ Tip: Season the broth only now, at the end. Salting early and long makes it harsh.

Soak Rice sticks in plenty of warm water until pliable, about 30 min, then drain. Meanwhile slice Spring onions, pick Coriander and Thai basil, cut Limes into wedges, slice Red chillies if using, rinse Bean sprouts and put out Hoisin sauce.

⚠ Tip: Do not soak rice sticks to softness; they finish in the hot broth and would turn to paste otherwise.

Boil the drained noodles in unsalted water for 1 min until just tender but still springy, then drain hard and shake dry. Divide between warmed deep bowls. Wet noodles dilute the broth, so drain them properly.

⚠ Tip: Rice noodles overcook in seconds. Taste one early and pull them while they still bite back.

Lay the sliced brisket and the raw Sirloin steak over the noodles, then scatter over Spring onions. Bring the broth to a rolling boil and ladle it over the bowls in a confident stream: the raw beef should cook through in the bowl as the hot broth hits it.

⚠ Tip: Slice the raw steak frozen for a few minutes first; paper-thin slices cook in the bowl and stay tender.

Set out the herb plate with Coriander, Thai basil, Bean sprouts, Limes, Red chillies and Hoisin sauce. Eat immediately, tearing herbs into the bowl, squeezing lime, and dipping the beef in hoisin mixed with a little broth.