For Broth:

•  1⁄2 Cup of Fish Sauce

• 1 Tsp of MSG (Optional)

• 1 Piece of Rock Sugar (to add sweetness, You can skip this if you want)

• 1 Dikon Average size

• 1 Medium Onion

• 1 or 2 Shallots

• 2 Ginger roots the length of your ring finger

• 1-2 lbs Flank Steak

• 1-2 lbs Skirt Steak

• 1 Beef Banana Shank

• 3 Pieces of Assorted Chicken (Mix of Legs, Thighs)

• 1 Package of Oxtail (Lean)

• 1 Package of Assorted Bone Mix

• 1/2 lb Tendon (Optional)

• 1/4 lb of Tripe (Optional)

• 1 Tsp Coriander Seed

• 1 Tsp Fennel Seed

• 3-6 Star Anise

• 3 or 4 Cloves (Depends on how big the pot is and whether you have any other spices)

• 1-2 Cinnamon Stick (Vietnamese Cinnamon Preferred)

• 2 Nuggets of Black Cardamom (Thao Qua) 1-2 Packages of Banh Pho (Rice Noodles)

• Salt to taste

Preparation:

Wash all bones, ox tails and meat. Place all assorted bones and ox tails in a large pot and cover with water and cook until boiling. When the bones and Ox Tail are just about to come to a boil, place remaining meats into pot and wait until all meats and bones come to a boil. Remove from heat and strain water and wash all bones and meats again (This is an important step to thoroughly wash everything so the final broth is not cloudy. Fill a 12 Quart pot with 6 Quarts of water, place all Assorted Bones in first, then Ox Tails, and the rest of the packaged meats on top.

While waiting for Bones and Meat to come to a boil, remove the skin from the Onions, Shallots and Ginger and char over a low open flame. Char just until the outside is a little black. Remove from heat and wash to remove some of the black char.

Place Coriander Seed, Fennel Seed, Star Anise, Cinnamon Sticks, Cardamom Spice Nuggets, in a pan and toast on low heat until fragrant. Take off of heat and put in a closed wire mesh metal strainer for seeping into broth.

 In the 12 Quart pot with all the meats and bones in, turn to high heat. Add the charred onions, shallots, and ginger bring to a boil for 5 minutes, skim all remaining blood from liquid. Wash, Peel and Cut Dikon into 1 inch round pieces and place into pot. Lower heat and simmer for 12-24 hours. Remove Chicken after 30 minutes of initial cooking, cover with plastic wrap and put to side to serve when done. Remove Beef Bone in Shank, Flank Steak and Skirt Steak after 1 1⁄2 to 2 hours of cooking and put to side to serve when done. At about 2 1⁄2 hours to 3 hour mark, place spices into pot and let seep into broth for another 2 1⁄2 to 3 hours then remove the spice mesh basket. Towards the end, add Fish Sauce and salt until it has the right taste.

Skim the fat throughout the cook, but the easiest way I have found to remove the fat is to ladle out the top 1/8 of the broth and refrigerate and then remove the solidified layer of fat.

Always season to taste.

If preparing Tripe for your pho, wash and clean the tripe. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and boil the tripe for 10 minutes. Remove and slice into strips to be added to individual bowls later.

If preparing Tendon for your pho, wash and clean the tendon before cooking. Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanche the tendon for 5 minutes to remove any residual scum. Once blanched remove from the water and add to pho broth that is cooking and let cook for 2-4 hours depending on the size of the tendon. Check the consistency to make sure that it is not to chewy or to soft.

Garnishes for Final Bowl:

• Mung Bean Sprouts Scallions

• Cilantro

• Mint Leaves

• Basil

• Onion

Preparation of other Ingredients:

Chop Scallions, Cilantro into small pieces and place to side for garnish. Thinly slice 1 onion whole. Wash all other ingredients and leave the leaves whole for garnish.

To prepare the noodles:

Boil the Banh Pho noodles until slightly cooked or you can soak the noodles in water and then microwave to order until cooked.