Pho Bo soup from Mama

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g beef leg slice(s) or beef bones with enough meat on them
• ⅛ celeriac
• 1 carrot(s)
• 1 piece(s) ginger, about a fingertip wide
• 1 onion(s)
• 5 carnations
• 2 star anise
• 1 cardamom pod(s), black or green
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp fish sauce (e.g. Squid Fish Sauce, Viet Huong or Megachef)
• 1 lime(s)
• 4 stalks of coriander
• ½ pack of rice noodles, approx. 200 g (Pho noodles, the slightly wider ones, e.g. Banh Pho Tuoi)
• e.g. spring onion(s)
• e.g. Thai basil
• e.g. soybean sprouts or mung bean sprouts

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour; Cooking/baking time approx. 1 hour 30 minutes; Total time approx. 2 hours 30 minutes

Vietnamese beef soup

Cut the carrot and celery into pieces and the ginger into approximately 2 mm thick slices. Trim the tops and bottoms of the onions, peel them, and halve them. First, fry the ginger slices and onions, then the cloves, star anise, and cardamom in a pan until they turn slightly black. This will create a fragrant aroma. Be careful with the cloves and star anise; they burn easily, so only fry them very briefly. Add the beef bones to approximately 3 liters of boiling water with the salt. Add the carrot and celery pieces, the fried spices, and the ginger. Let everything simmer for 1 hour. Strain the broth through a sieve. Let the bones cool and then slice the meat thinly. Meanwhile, wash the herbs and bean sprouts. Roughly chop the cilantro. Slice the lime. Set everything aside in a small plate. Cook half a package of pho noodles in boiling water for about 3-4 minutes, until they are still slightly firm to the bite. Taste frequently. Drain the water in a colander and rinse the noodles with cold water. Arrange some noodles in a medium bowl, add a few slices of meat, and pour over boiling clear broth. Garnish with herbs and season with lime.