P
Vietnamese
Pho and the Vietnamese-American Restaurant
A large bowl of clear-to-amber beef broth (simmered 6-12 hours from beef bones, charred ginger, and charred onion, seasoned with star anise, cinnamon stick, whole cloves, coriander seed, and fish sauce) poured over cooked flat rice noodles and thinly sliced raw beef (the broth's heat cooks the raw slices). The herb plate on the side: Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño, and hoisin and sriracha sauces for the diner to add to their own bowl.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
For the broth
2 kg
beef bones
knuckles, marrow bones, and oxtail, mixed
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
100 g
fresh ginger
halved lengthways, charred on an open flame or under a broiler until blackened
Origin · New ZealandPurely Artisan Foods · San Diego →
2 medium
yellow onions
halved, charred on an open flame or under a broiler until blackened
Your own market
3–4
star anise
tied in a cheesecloth sachet with the remaining spices
Your own market
1
cinnamon stick
in the cheesecloth sachet
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3–4
whole cloves
in the cheesecloth sachet
Your own market
1 tbsp
coriander seeds
in the cheesecloth sachet
Your own market
60 ml
fish sauce
or to taste
Your own market
For the bowl
400 g
flat dried rice noodles
banh pho, medium width; soaked and cooked according to packet instructions
Origin · ThailandWismettac · Vancouver →
400 g
beef sirloin or eye of round
sliced paper-thin against the grain; refrigerate until service
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Herb plate
1 bunch
1 bunch
cilantro
left whole
Your own market
200 g
bean sprouts
raw
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
2
limes
cut into wedges
Your own market
2
jalapeños
thinly sliced into rounds
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
hoisin sauce
served in a small dish at the table
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
60 ml
sriracha
served in a small dish at the table
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Place the beef bones in a large stockpot. Cover with cold water and bring to a full boil. Drain the bones and rinse under cold running water, scrubbing away any grey matter. Return the blanched bones to the cleaned pot and cover with fresh cold water — approximately 4 litres. This blanching stage is essential for a clear broth.
2
Halve the ginger and onions and char them directly over an open flame or under a broiler, turning, until the cut faces are deeply blackened. Add them to the pot with the bones. Bring the pot to a steady simmer over medium heat. During the first two hours, skim the surface constantly with a ladle, removing all grey foam and fat as it rises. The broth must be clear: a thin, opaque surface signals that skimming has been insufficient.
3
Once the broth runs clear, add the cheesecloth sachet containing the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, and coriander seeds. Simmer for exactly 1 hour, then remove and discard the sachet. Longer steeping will render the spices bitter — this is where the dish lives or dies.
4
Continue simmering the broth, uncovered and at a gentle, steady simmer, for a total of 6 to 12 hours from when it first came to a simmer. The finished broth should range from clear to deep amber and carry deep, rounded flavour with no single spice dominant. Season to taste with fish sauce. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and discard the solids.
5
Prepare the noodles according to packet instructions. Divide the cooked noodles among four large, warmed bowls. Arrange the paper-thin raw beef slices over the noodles in a single layer. Bring the strained broth to a rolling boil.
6
Ladle the boiling broth directly over the raw beef and noodles in each bowl. The heat of the broth cooks the beef at the table: the slices should turn from red to pale pink within seconds of the broth being poured. Serve immediately, with the herb plate — Thai basil, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced jalapeño, hoisin, and sriracha — set at the table for each diner to dress their own bowl.
From the canon — The herb plate (đĩa rau thơm) — a large plate of fresh herbs, lettuces, and aromatics served alongside virtually every Vietnamese meal — is not a garnish or … Herb Plate: The Vietnamese Table Tradition →
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Broth simmered a full 12 hours from a mixed selection of knuckle, marrow, and oxtail bones; ginger and onion charred on an open wood or gas flame; fish sauce of single-origin Vietnamese production. Beef slices from dry-aged sirloin, cut to near-translucent thinness.
02
Estate — A 10-hour simmer with knuckle and oxtail bones; broiler-charred aromatics; a reliable Vietnamese or Thai fish sauce. Beef from a butcher-cut eye of round, sliced very thin.
03
Market — A minimum 6-hour simmer with whatever beef bones the market carries; broiler-charred ginger and onion; standard supermarket fish sauce. Pre-packaged pho noodles; supermarket sirloin sliced at home after a brief freezing to aid thinness.
04
House — Broth made from a quality commercial beef stock as a base, fortified with charred aromatics and the spice sachet, simmered for at least 90 minutes. Acceptable for a weeknight bowl; the depth and clarity of a true long-simmered broth will not be present.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sight. The broth runs completely clear — amber, not cloudy — after the first two hours of skimming.
◇Smell. After one hour with the spice sachet, the broth carries a warm, layered fragrance of anise, cinnamon, and clove without any single spice dominating; this is the signal to remove the sachet.
◇Taste. At full simmer completion, the broth is deep, rounded, and fully seasoned with fish sauce — no flat or thin quality remains.
◇Sight. When boiling broth is poured over the raw beef at service, the slices turn from red to pale pink within seconds, confirming the broth is at a true boil and the beef is cut to the correct thinness.
◇Where it lives or dies. The spice sachet must be removed after exactly one hour of steeping; left longer, the star anise, cinnamon, and cloves turn the broth bitter and unbalanced.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Bushmills Malt 10 Year Old
Old Bushmills Distillery · County Antrim — Bushmills Distillery
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
Whisky
From British Columbia
Wine
Without alcohol
No pour without alcohol holds against this yet.
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
Sourced through Provenance