Strawberry Crumb Bars

I don't know about you guys, but strawberry flavored ANYTHING is my absolute favorite! These strawberry crumb bars aren't overly sweet (as with most of my desserts) and have this yummy, crumbly topping made with cinnamon and nutmeg...YUM!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb. of fresh strawberries chopped

1/4 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon of cornstarch

FOR THE CRUST:

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/4 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of brown sugar

pinch of salt

zest from one lemon

1 egg lightly beaten

1/2 cup of SOFTENED unsalted butter, cubed

FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 cup of crispy rice cereal

1/2 cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon of brown sugar

pinch of salt

cinnamon to taste

ground nutmeg to taste

1/4 cup of melted butter flavored shortening (may sub for butter)

YOU WILL ALSO NEED:

13x9 inch baking dish

parchment paper

INSTRUCTIONS:

PREHEAT OVEN TO 375 degrees F.

1. Place your chopped strawberries into a mixing bowl and add in your sugar, vanilla extract, and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.
2. Make your crust: into a mixing bowl, add in your all purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, pinch of salt, zest from one lemon, and egg. Add in your cubed softened butter, and using a fork, begin to mix your ingredients together. Once slightly combined, use your hands to mix it until crumbly. REMOVE 1/2 CUP OF THIS MIXTURE AND SET THIS ASIDE.
3. Press your crust mixture firmly into your baking dish fitted with a piece of parchment paper.
4. Take your strawberry mixture and pour it evenly over your crust.
5. Make your topping: into a mixing bowl, add in your all purpose flour, sugar, brown sugar, crispy rice cereal, pinch of salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and melted shortening. Mix it until crumbly. Take your 1/2 cup of reserved mixture from earlier, and add that into your mixing bowl until well combined.
6. Take your crumb topping and spread it evenly over your strawberries. (You may not use all of the crumb topping)
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until topping is slightly browned. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

Asian Fried Chicken

Homemade fried chicken is the BUSINESS!!

Is there anything more glorious than a crispy batch of homemade fried chicken??

I THINK NOT.

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds of chicken wings, cleaned and patted completely dry

vegetable oil for frying

FOR THE MARINADE:

3 Tbsp of oyster sauce

2 tsp of fish sauce

1 tsp of sugar

black pepper

FOR THE FLOUR MIXTURE:


3 Tbsp of all purpose flour

3 Tbsp of potato starch

3 Tbsp of rice flour

1 Tbsp of cajun seasoning

2 tsp of garlic powder

2 tsp of onion powder

1/2 tsp of Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp of white pepper

1/4 tsp of black pepper

1/4 tsp of chili powder

2 pinches of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Marinade your your chicken for at least 30 minutes (or overnight). Bring your chicken up to room temperature before you fry it.
2. In a shallow mixing bowl, add your flour/spices together, and stir to combine.
3. Dip your chicken pieces into your flour mixture, toss to coat, and tap off the excess.
4. Fry your chicken in batches until cooked through. It could take anywhere from 7-8 minutes.

NOTES: Make sure to coat the chicken with the flour mixture by hand, and not use the "place everything in a ziplock baggie, and shake", method. If you do it that way, most of your flour mixture will end up sticking to the inside of the bag, instead of on your chicken. Don't ask me why I know that.

Homemade Dinner Rolls

These dinner rolls are to die for!

I would probably sell my first born for these...

Okay, I may be exaggerating just a TEENY bit, but you get what I mean.

Homemade dinner rolls that are soft and fluffy like these, are hard to come by. I will admit, that you do have to order one of the items in the ingredients list online at Kingarthurflour.com, but I promise you that I will make it worth your while. :)

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup of warm water

7 grams (2 tsp) of active dry yeast

25 grams (2 Tbsp) of sugar

300 grams (2 1/2 cups) of all purpose flour plus more for kneading

19 grams (3 Tbsp) of Baker's Special Dry Milk

9 grams (1 Tbsp) of vital wheat gluten

8 grams (1+ 1/4 tsp) of salt

31 grams (2 Tbsp) of unsalted softened butter

You will also need:


An egg white beaten with some water

softened butter for the baking dish

melted butter for when they come out of the oven

a pastry brush

a food processor

vegetable oil

9x9 baking dish (preferably ceramic)

INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Sprinkle your yeast into your warm water (not too hot, you don't want to kill your yeast). Stir. Add in your sugar. Stir once more and set aside until foamy.
2. While you are waiting for your yeast to bloom, add your all purpose flour, baker's special dry milk powder, and vital wheat gluten into a mixing bowl. Mix to combine.
3. When your yeast is ready, give it a quick little stir to loosen up the sugar that has sunk to the bottom, and pour it into your dry ingredients. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix it until it starts to pull away from the sides.
4. Sprinkle in your salt and mix just until combined.
5. Add your dough into your food processor and pulse for 1 minute.
6. Flatten out your dough a bit, spread on your softened butter, and then make sure to cover the butter with your dough before you pulse again for 20-30 more seconds.
7. Place your dough onto a lightly floured surface and QUICKLY work it into a ball. It will seem tacky at first, but do not add anymore flour. As you start to work it, it will begin to form a ball (it doesn't have to be perfect).
8. Place your dough into a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and wait for it to double in size. It may take 1 hour or more.
9. Generously, butter your baking dish with some softened butter.
10. Onto a lightly floured surface, shape your dough into a log (about 14 inches across), and then equally slice them into 12 pieces. Move them to the side, and keep them covered with a dish towel.
11. One by one (with quick hands), start forming your rolls. Add flour to your work surface as needed. (Please watch the tutorial below for a better idea on how to roll out your dinner rolls!) Once finished, place your dinner roll back under your dish towel, and proceed with the rest of them. Always keep them covered to prevent them from drying out.
12. Once you are finished with all 12 rolls, let them rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten a bit.
13. Reshape them into dinner rolls AGAIN, but this time, place the finished rolls into your buttered baking dish.
14. Cover your finished rolls with saran wrap and let them rest until they have doubled in size. This can take anywhere from 1 hour to several hours, depending on how warm it is.
15. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
16. Gently brush an egg wash over your rolls and bake them for about 8-10 minutes. Once the tops look browned, TURN OFF YOUR OVEN, rotate your pan, and then leave them in there for an additional 5 more minutes. All oven times vary, depending on how hot your oven gets, so you have to watch them!
17. Fresh out of the oven, brush them with some melted butter, and wait at least 30 minutes before removing them from your baking dish.

NOTES: Your dinner rolls might look a little uneven in color when you first pull them out, but the tops will continue to brown while they are cooling in your baking dish. Once you serve them, they will look like perfect little clouds! Also, if you want your dinner rolls to stay nice and fluffy, you must leave them in the baking dish to cool down slightly before removing them onto a serving platter.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

rice paper
very warm water

For the filling:

rice vermicelli noodles(cooked accordingly to the package)
1 pound of shrimp(deveined with the shell on)
fried tofu
Vietnamese ham(click here for my homemade recipe)
bean sprouts
green leaf lettuce
mint
cilantro
saw tooth coriander(optional)
chives(optional)

For the peanut sauce:

1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp of hoisen sauce
1/4 cup of creamy peanut butter
1 Tbsp of sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup of very warm water
1/2 tsp of garlic powder
chopped peanuts for garnish
*you may double the recipe

For the sweet and sour fish sauce:

1/2 cup of sugar dissolved in 1/2 cup plus 1 Tbsp of very hot water
1/3 cup of fish sauce
1-2 limes
3 cloves of chopped garlic
1 Tbsp of ground chili paste
some sliced Thai chili peppers
some carrots sliced julienne(optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Start off by making your dipping sauces.

To make the peanut sauce:

Add all of the above ingredients(except for the chopped peanuts)into a food processor and puree until smooth. Taste check and adjust seasoning as needed. Sauce will slightly thicken upon standing. Store any leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge.

To make the sweet and sour dipping sauce:

Add all of the above ingredients into a small mixing bowl EXCEPT for the ground chili paste and chili peppers. You want to taste check for seasoning first, and then add the chili last after it's to your liking. Start off with the juice of 1 lime and add more as needed. Store leftover sauce in an air tight container in the fridge, as well.

Add your shrimp in some boiling water until cooked through. Drain and then slice them in half. Remove the shell and then set aside.

Take your tofu and rinse them in some hot water to remove the excess oil. Drain and then pat dry. Cut them in half and then again into thirds. Set them aside.

Cut your Vietnamese ham into the same size as your tofu. You want thin strips to make it easier to roll.

Wash all of your herbs and veggies VERY WELL, and then dry them in a salad spinner.

*Make sure you have all of your fillings, herbs, and veggies in front of you before you begin to assemble.

How to assemble your spring rolls:

Dip your rice paper into some very warm water for about 5 seconds. Place the rice paper on a wooden board. Use your hands to smooth out the rice paper a bit. It will also help soften the rice paper. Take a small piece of lettuce and place it in the middle(make sure you leave at least a 1/2 inch border on the sides to roll up the seams). Add your bean sprout first, and then follow with your choice of herbs and veggies. Top with a small portion of noodles(less is more). On the next row, add two slices of tofu then top that with two slices of ham. For the third row, add 3 pieces of shrimp(the cut side of the shrimp should be visible to you).

Start rolling the rice paper over the veggies and noodles(getting a tight grip), then over your tofu and ham, and right before you roll over the shrimp, fold in the sides of the rice paper, and finally, tightly roll over the shrimp.

Serve immediately with your choice of dipping sauce.

NOTES: Fresh spring rolls do not refrigerate well. The rice paper will become tough and hard, when cold. Make sure you always use very warm water for best results. You do not have to use a wooden board to roll your spring rolls. Personally, it just works better for me because I feel that the wooden boards soak up the water from the rice paper better, so it makes for easier rolling.

Stir Fried Pork Spare Ribs

If you are low on cash and need to whip up something quick and delicious for dinner, then look no further! My kids have requested this EVERY WEEK for the past month! This dish is served best alongside some rice. It also tastes great with anything pickled. Sometimes, I serve it with a side of kimchee or even papaya salad.

Ingredients:

2 pounds of pork spare ribs

For the marinade:

1 Tbsp. of oyster sauce
1 Tbsp. of fish sauce
2 Tbsp. of water
1 Tbsp. of palm sugar(or white granulated sugar)
1/4 tsp of onion powder
2 cloves of chopped garlic
sesame seeds and black pepper to taste

You will also need:

Peanut oil or vegetable oil

1. Take your spare ribs, wash them, and then pat them dry with a paper towel. Cut them into 1 inch pieces and place them into a bowl.
2. Make your marinade and then pour it over your ribs. Allow them to marinade at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Into a hot skillet(on medium high heat), add in your ribs and stir fry for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and let it simmer for 5 more minutes.
4. Remove lid, stir, and then turn up to medium high heat. Continue to cook until all the liquid has evaporated and sugar has caramelized. Stir frequently to prevent burning. Taste check for seasoning. Serve alongside some rice and your favorite side dishes.

NOTES: Some Asian markets sell pre-cut spare ribs for you, but I would advise against buying them. They usually are all bones and they don't trim off the fat or membrane, so you're left with a ton of fat on them as well. You may also use boneless pork instead. For a spicy variation, stir fry with some sliced jalapenos! :)

Some recommended side dishes:
Recipe for pickled mustard greens can be found here.
Recipe for papaya salad can be found here.
Recipe for mango salad can be found here.

Croissants and Pain au Chocolat

So, I've been thinking about making my own croissants from scratch, for quite sometime now. The thought alone always frightened me and I was sure that my first attempt at them would be a disaster! But to my surprise, my first attempt didn't turn out too bad! While I was researching recipes and reading COUNTLESS forums, it seemed that the recipe for the dough was pretty much similar to a basic white bread recipe. With that in mind, I decided to try and use my very own homemade bread recipe(which I worked VERY hard on, thank you very much), for the dough. It's the actual process of lamination, that would prove itself to be more difficult! Lamination is the term for the process of alternating layers of dough and butter when making pastry. Things like keeping your work area and butter cold, using butter with a high fat content(i.e. European style), and extreme PATIENCE, would all be major factors in the overall result. Get ready ya'll, cause this is about to be an extremely LONG post, so sit your happy ass DOWN...put your reading glasses ON...and accept this croissant, baking challenge!! :)

Ingredients for the dough:

1 cup of warm water
7 grams of active dry yeast
29 grams of sugar
319 grams of all purpose flour(recommended by King Arthur)
12 grams of potato flour
22 grams of Bakers Special Dry Milk(http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/bakers-special-dry-milk-16-oz#1188#)
11 grams of vital wheat gluten
3 grams of diastatic malt powder(http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/diastatic-malt-powder-16-oz#3413#
29 grams of softened, unsalted butter
284 grams of cold, unsalted European style butter(recommended Plugra)for laminating.

For the egg wash(optional):

an egg yolk mixed with some milk
pinch of salt

Start off by sprinkling your yeast into your warm water. Make sure it isn't too hot-you don't want to kill your yeast. Give it a little stir and then add in your sugar and stir one more time. Allow to sit until mixture becomes creamy or when you can see the yeast kind of "sprouting" on the top of the surface(at least 5 min or so). Now, you know that your yeast is "alive".

While you're waiting for your yeast to wake up, add your all purpose flour, diastatic malt powder, potato flour, and vital wheat gluten into a large mixing bowl. Mix to combine.

When your dough is activated, give it a quick stir to loosen up the sugar that has fallen to the bottom of the bowl, and pour it into your dry mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix until well combined. Add in your salt last(yeast doesn't like salt but adds flavor)give it a another quick mix, and then add your dough into the food processor.

Pulse for 1 minute. Turn off food processor and slightly flatten out the dough and then slather on your softened butter. Take your hand or butter knife and bring some dough over the butter. Pulse for 30 more seconds. It's easy to over knead dough in the food processor so stay close.

Place a little bit of flour onto a clean work surface and shape your dough into a smooth ball. Your dough should be slightly tacky. Place dough in the fridge, and allow to chill for about 30 minutes.

Next, take a large piece of parchment paper, and using a ruler, measure out a perfect 8x8 inch square, right smack in the middle of the parchment. Make sure you have enough to fold over all four sides...you'll need it to trap in your butter as you're rolling it out flat. Set it aside.

Next, lightly flour your work surface. Remove your chilled butter from the fridge, and with a lightly floured rolling pin, gently pound it until it is relatively flat and slightly squared. Place your butter into middle of your parchment(8x8 inch)square, and fold over all four sides of the parchment paper, to fully encase the butter. Flip it over and begin to use your rolling pin to flatten out the butter into a thin, perfect 8x8 inch block of butter. Once complete, place your butter back into the fridge to chill.

On a lightly floured surface, remove your dough from the fridge and gently roll it out into an 8x16 inch rectangle. Use a pastry brush to brush off any excess flour. Transfer the dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet, cover completely with another piece of parchment paper, and place it into the freezer for 30 minutes.

Fill two gallon sized freezer bags with ice, and place them on your work surface for 15 minutes. Remove the ice bags and wipe your work surface, making sure that the surface remains dry. Also don't forget to place your rolling pin(and ice bags)back into the freezer when not in use.

Take your chilled dough out of the freezer and place it on a lightly floured surface. Remove your thin sheet of butter from the fridge and using your finger, touch it and then touch the dough to make sure they are of the same consistency. If your butter is harder than your dough, then wait a few minutes before proceeding with the next step. If your butter is a lot colder than your dough, then you risk tearing your dough while rolling and that'll result in less, flakey layers.



When ready, place your butter in the middle of the dough and then fold the bottom half up, toward the middle, and then repeat with the top half, making sure that they perfectly meet in the middle. If you need to, trim off any excess dough to make it even. Take your chilled rolling pin, and give it a few gentle whacks. Then turn your dough, 90 degrees and give it a few whacks again. Measure it...does it come out to 8 inches across? If so, proceed by rolling your dough(starting from the middle), and using long single strokes, roll it out to an 8x20 inch rectangle. Don't forget to turn your dough 180 degrees, and repeat rolling it out.

Next, bring the bottom half 2/3 of the way up and then fold the top 1/3 down. Brush off any excess flour BEFORE you continue folding. Then, fold the whole thing in half, turn the dough 90 degrees again, making sure that the "spine" of the book is to your left. Give it a few gently whacks again to stretch out the dough and then tightly wrap with saran wrap. Place it into the fridge for 1 hour. You've now completed your first, DOUBLE BOOK FOLD.

Remove your chilled dough from the fridge and place it on your lightly floured, well chilled counter. Let it rest for 5 minutes to relax the gluten a little bit. Using a cold rolling pin, repeat the same process and roll out your dough again, into an 8x20 inch rectangle. This time, you're going to fold the dough "letter style", by bringing the bottom third up and then fold your top third down. Turn your dough 90 degrees, give the dough a few good whacks, and then tightly wrap with saran wrap and place into the fridge for another hour. Now, you've just completed your SINGLE BOOK FOLD(or simple turn).

Remove your dough from the fridge and let it rest for 5 minutes before proceeding. Roll out your dough again(is your counter and rolling pin cold?), to make another 8x20 inch rectangle and then repeat the process for another, DOUBLE BOOK FOLD. Place your dough back into the fridge, put something heavy on top of it to prevent it from rising any further, and then let it rest overnight(or for 12-18 hours).

The next day, remove your dough from the fridge and then place it into you freezer for about 15 minutes. Then, cut the dough in half, rewrap it tightly with saran wrap, and place half of it back into the fridge. With the other half, on a lightly floured and chilled counter, roll out your dough into a rectangle about 1/8-1/4 inch thick. I always forget to measure this part but it's about a 14x6 inch rectangle. If your dough is too elastic, place it into the freezer for about 15 minutes(or until firm). Using a ruler cut out even triangles with a 4" base and a 6" height. Your triangle should feel cold and firm. Make a tiny slit at the base of your dough and begin to roll it up. Place your rolled croissant on a good thick baking sheet, lined with Silpat. Also, you'll need to bake these off in two separate batches. Make sure you space them evenly apart because they will rise during baking. If you're using a cheap baking sheet and don't have Silpat, then double pan your baking sheet and just use parchment paper. Doing so, will prevent the bottoms of your croissants from burning. Once you're done rolling them all, cover lightly with saran wrap(I prefer to use a clear waste basket liner), and allow them to proof in a cool area(my ideal temperature is 70 degrees), for about 3 hours. Sometimes it takes longer. You can tell when they're ready because they will look visibly puffier. Once they're done proofing, put your croissants in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes to firm up your butter. This step will make sure your butter doesn't leak out during baking. Give your croissants a good egg yolk wash before baking(if using).

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees(or the hottest that it will go). Place your croissants on the middle oven rack and turn down the heat to 475 degrees. Bake for 5 minutes and then turn down again to 400 degrees for about 8 minutes. Finally, turn down the heat to 350 degrees and bake until a deep golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and immediately transfer onto a wire rack to cool. Wait 30 minutes to allow the butter in the croissants to finish it's final setting. Croissants should be eaten barely warm.

If any of your layers tear during lamination, then you're pretty much screwed! Haha. You need even layers of butter and dough to create those flaky layers that everyone loves so much. You want to aim for a "honeycomb" texture inside your croissants. I must admit, I would like my croissants to have a much more open crumb but I figured as a home baker...that might be a little bit too ambitious, perhaps?? :)

Croissants HATE warmth! Work in a cool room, preferably 68-72 degrees. If it's too warm where you live, then you might want to rethink making croissants. What will happen is your butter might melt into your dough during lamination and that's a big no-no! Your butter should only melt into the dough during baking! That's what gives your croissants those flaky layers!

When my house is 70 degrees, it takes about 3 hours sometimes 3 1/2 hours to double in size(proofing). They should be visibly puffier, then before. When you brush your egg wash on, your croissant will seem to "jiggle".

Two reasons why you could have a pool of butter coming out of your croissants during baking: 1) you've UNDERPROOFED your croissants(i.e. you baked them too soon). 2) Before shaping into croissants, you didn't roll out your dough thin enough. About 1/8 inch thickness is best to ensure thin layers of dough and fat. If your layers are too thick, the butter will not be able to fully penetrate the dough, your croissants will be tough, and the butter may leak out during the bake.

More often then not, I actually prefer to NOT add an egg wash on top of the croissants. I think w/o it, the croissants puff up better and rise higher. A lot of home bakers tend to undercook their croissants(maybe because the egg wash browns them too quickly?)...that might also be a reason why your croissants end up flat.

If at anytime during lamination, your butter seems too soft or seems like it's going to leak, wrap it up tightly and place it into the fridge or freezer for 15 minutes or so, or until firm.

To make chocolate croissants, you can purchase chocolate batons online or just do what I did...I used some Bakers chocolate that come in 1 ounce squares. Don't used chocolate chips or chopped chocolate cause they will just ooze out and make a complete mess!

Make sure that your dough and butter are the same temperature before lamination.

Use REAL butter with a high fat content. A European style butter is best or something with at least 80% or higher butter content.

Most importantly, work quickly and HAVE FUN!!

Watch how to make it here.

Homemade Pho

I don't know about you guys, but I'm pretty sure that all I need to survive is my hair straightener and pho. I can assure you that even in 90 degree weather, you can catch me in my kitchen hovering over my stove cooking up a big pot of pho. Since I married into a Vietnamese family, I figured that it would probably be a good idea to teach myself how to make it. This recipe feeds my family of 5 for 2-3 days depending on how often we eat it. Remember, that you may cut recipe in half or just use it as a reference. I actually used 3 pounds or so of beef bone in this recipe along w/ one whole foster farm chicken. If you think it's weird to make a broth with that mix, you don't have to do it. You can use all beef bones if you'd like, or all chicken. Whatever your preference, I assure you that it will all come out delicious!

You will need:

1 whole 3-4 pd skinned foster farm chicken(cut up chicken into large manageable pieces)or you may use all beef bone/knuckle for this recipe as well

3 pds of beef bone and/or beef knuckle

3 pound pkg of beef bottom round roast(use only if you want cooked beef slices)or you may sub w/oxtail

2 pkgs of beef meatballs

1 4 inch piece of ginger split in half

2 large onions cut in half(DO NO PEEL SKIN)

1 1/2 T. of coriander

1 tsp. whole cloves

2 cardamom pods split

2 cinnamon sticks

1 handful of star anise

2/3 cup of fish sauce

1 1/2 T. salt

3 oz. of palm sugar or 1/4 cp of sugar

1/2 tsp of msg(optional)

3 pkgs of fresh rice noodle

2 cheese cloths for straining broth

12 qt. stainless steel pot and an extra pot to parboil your bones

26 cups of water(or fill up halfway but remember you may cut recipe in half)

1 Stainless steel tea balls or mesh vegetable bags to hold all the spices for easier clean up

Garnishes:

Bean sprout

Mint

Lime wedges

Thinly sliced onion(soak onion in ice water for 30 min and drain)

Lime wedges

Chopped green onion

You want to roast your onion and ginger in the oven. Bake @ 400 degrees for 30 minutes. If you have an open burner, then you should preferably char the onion and ginger over an open flame, turning occasionally until slightly blackened.

Take a pot big enough for all your meat,(except for bottom round roast)add enough water to cover and bring them to a boil for about 8-10 minutes or so. This step is for cleaning your bones and it will help you to get a clearer broth. While that pot is coming to a boil, get your other 12 qt pot ready and fill it half way(about 26 cps). Unless, you want to wait FOREVER AND A DAY for a big stock pot of water packed with meat and bones to boil, then you can skip this part. Otherwise having two pots going at a time will save you a butt load of pho'cken time(pun intended).

Once chicken and/or beef bone is done parboiling, dump it into a large colander in sink and lightly rinse off bones under cool water.

Since you should have another pot of water almost coming to boil, carefully add the bones/meat into the pot of water. This is also the time where you would add in the bottom round roast. When making this pot of pho, I didn't quite measure how much water I added, just make sure that after you've added all the meat in, that the pot is pretty much filled with water 3/4 way up. Feel free to take some water out if there is too much. Add in the char broiled ginger and onion. Add in fish sauce, palm sugar,salt(and msg if you're opting to use it), cinnamon sticks, and a big handful of star anise.

Put the other spices listed, into 1 stainless steel tea ball or mesh bags and drop them into the the pot. Make sure you remove that chain that comes along with the tea ball.

Now all that's left is leaving it all to simmer on low heat for 3 hrs. You know you've done it right when the pot looks disgusting and greasy.

Skim off fat as you go along trying to only take out what you need. Sometimes, if I feel like I'm taking out too much water along with the fat, then I will add more water to compensate.

After the broth has been simmering for 2 hrs I then taste the broth to see if I need to add any additional seasonings. Remove your beef bottom roast(if using) and allow to rest on cutting board before slicing against the grain. Keep in mind that this recipe uses chicken instead of all beef bone which means less fat, so if you decide to use more beef bone and/or oxtail, your broth will be very greasy at first, so make sure you use your ladle to skim off any fat that rises to the surface and add more water to pot if necessary. Also note, that you want the broth slightly stronger tasting cause once you add the noodles and garnishes it will bring down the flavor a tad bit. I usually make a small bowl for myself to taste check before serving to guests.

Once it's seasoned to your liking and has been simmering for at least 3 hrs, remove all bones and meat and place into colander over a large bowl.

Place two cheese cloths over a mesh strainer fitted on top of a pot and slowly strain the broth until done.

Now that your broth is pretty again and smells FANTASTIC, you can add in the beef meatballs if you opted for them and bring to a slight boil until the balls are cooked through(they will puff up when they are almost ready).

Using a very sharp knife, thinly slice your bottom round roast against the grain. Also don't forget to shred the meat off of the chicken that you had set aside. This is a very crucial step when using beef bone with tons of meat on it and ESPECIALLY OXTAIL! Right before you pour the broth into your bowl, is when you would toss in a couple of pieces of this delicious and tender meat!

You can also use raw, thinly sliced sirloin steak if you wish. To make slicing easier and to ensure thin cuts of meat, put meat in freezer for 30 min. and then slice.

Assembling the bowls: Place blanched rice noodles(or if using dry noodles, follow directions on package)in individual bowls and top with thinly cooked beef slices. If you are adding raw beef slices, the broth must be boiling to cook it through before you ladle the soup into the bowl. If the broth is not quite boiling but VERY HOT, than you can cook the meat by quickly dipping it into the pho broth using the ladle(it should take seconds). Once you've added the broth into the bowl, top with the garnishes of your choice and....VOILA!!!

Notes: The spices used in pho can get pretty pricey if you purchase them at your local Safeway, Fred Meyers or wherever you shop. If you know of a local Asian market or know someone that can get to one, I would highly recommend you go there cause it is waaaaay more inexpensive BELIEVE ME!
Also the type of fish sauce you use matters!! Don't use the ones that come in the plastic bottles...YUCKY! Use the ones that come in the glass bottles instead. There are various brands and most of them are very similar in taste.
Lastly, if you're using all beef bones and oxtails, the longer you simmer the broth the better! But I wouldn't recommend simmering chicken for longer then 3 to 4 hrs cause it will get VERY GELATINOUS after cooled and it will not look too appetizing when you're trying to reheat it. Feel free to add in any fixings to satisfy your taste buds! You can add all kinds of stuff to pho...tripe,shrimp,flank stank(I mean steak):),or even beef tendon. Whatever your palette, pho is always a real crowd pleaser!

I posted this recipe on my blog MONTHS before I started my Youtube channel so it differs slightly than the video. The spices, and the amount of meat I used DID NOT CHANGE, so feel free to use and follow the recipe listed w/ a few minor adjustments as stated in the video! If you want a healthier alternative than follow the written recipe for pho using chicken as the base but if you want a full bodied and tastier pho experience, than follow my video where I use all beef bones/oxtails and let it simmer for up to 8 hrs! ENJOY AND HAPPY EATING!! :)