Pho Bo

Broth

1. 1

   Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil and cook hard for 10 minutes. Drain, and scrub the bones and the pot clean. Skipping this parboil is why home pho goes cloudy.

1. 2

   Char the onion and ginger cut-side down in a dry pan or under a grill until blackened in patches, about 8 minutes. Blackened, not browned.

2. 3

   Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves and coriander seeds in a dry pan for 90 seconds, until they smell warm.

3. 4

   Return the bones to the clean pot with the brisket, charred aromatics, toasted spices and 5 litres of cold water. Bring to the barest simmer.

4. 5

   Skim the grey foam off for the first 20 minutes, then leave to simmer, uncovered and never boiling, for 6 hours. A rolling boil emulsifies the fat and turns the broth murky.

5. 6

   Lift the brisket out after the first 90 minutes, cool it, and refrigerate until serving.

6. 7

   Strain the broth, discard the solids, and season with rock sugar and fish sauce until it tastes complete on its own.

To serve

1. 8

   Soak and cook the rice noodles according to the packet, then divide between six deep bowls.

1. 9

   Slice the cold brisket thinly and lay it over the noodles with the raw sirloin.

2. 10

   Bring the broth back to a full rolling boil and ladle it over. The heat of the broth is what cooks the raw beef, so it has to be genuinely boiling as it hits the bowl.

3. 11

   Serve immediately with the herbs, lime and chilli alongside, for each person to add themselves.