Pho Bo Vien (Vietnamese Meatballs Soup My Way)

One of staple foods in our house :)

To make this soup you will need:

Ground beef

Cow bones for making stock

Rice stick

Rock sugar

Pho cube (you can also use pho pouch, or you can make your own)

Spices as as star anise, rice powder, etc

Hoisin and Sriracha

Basil leaves, lime/lemon, bean sprouts, bird eye chilies, Mexican cilantro

Fish sauce

Ginger, garlic and onion

Hungarian Vegeta powder

1-2 large onion

fresh ginger (the size of an adult thumb)

1-2 package of marrow and/or knuckle bones, around 6 lbs (butcher shops, Chinatown, big grocery stores, usually carry them)

5 star anise, 6 cloves, and a cinnamon stick (about 3 inch)

2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 1/2 tbsp salt and 1 rock sugar (available at Asian stores, if you cannot find them, just use about 1 tbsp sugar)

Char onion and ginger, let the skin burn for 15 mins, until soften and fragrant, rotating them occasionally. Let cool and discard skins.

Place bones in a big pot, cover with water and bring to boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 5 mins, then rinse bones and empty pot.

Place bones back into the pot, fill up with water, as much as you want. Bring to boil and remove scums, then lower heat to medium, let simmer for half h.

Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer bones for 2 h at least.

Adjust flavor to your taste (by adding fish sauce, sugar, salt. If needed, add in pho cube/pho pouch)

1/4 c fish sauce

1 tbsp plus 1 teaspoon potato starch/tapioca starch

1 tsp BP

a pinch or two sugar, 1/2 tsp black pepper powder, 1-2 tsp garlic powder, 1-2 tsp Hungarian Vegeta powder, 1/2 tsp roasted rice powder

500 g ground beef

1 tsp sesame oil

vegetable oil, for shaping meatballs

Enough water

Mix all ingredients but vegetable oil, until combined well.

Working with a little at a time, process everything into smooth paste in your food processor. Adding an ice cube or two into the processor while processing help cooling down your motor and making the paste more awesome IMO.

Bring water to boil, then lower heat to simmer

Rub some vegetable oil on one hand. Grab a handful of the meat paste and close your hand into a fist, squeezing out a small portion of the mixture, about 1 tbsp, between your thumb and index finger. Keep rolling and squeezing the same portion between your thumb and index finger until you obtain a smooth rounded ball. Scoop out the meatball with an oiled spoon.

Drop balls into simmered water and cook until floating

1 package of rice sticks

1 onion, sliced thinly

1-2 green onion, sliced thinly

Hoisin and Sriracha sauce, as much as you like

Asian basil leaves

Bird eyes chilies, if you like

1-2 lime/lemon, quartered

Mexican/thorny coriander, optional

Bean sprouts as much as you want

Place washed and drained bean sprouts, lime wedges, coriander, basil, chilies, on a plate

Place sauces on sauces plates

Bring water to boil, cook noodle, drain and place into serving bowls

Top noodle with sliced green onion and onion

Add in beef balls and pour in broth

Serve hot and enjoy :)