Oxtail Pho | TasteToronto
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Oxtail Pho

8 hours 30 mins Prep Time

4 hours 0 mins Cook Time

Ingredients

Stock

  • 1 3"-4"-inch piece of ginger

  • 2 white onions, halved

  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves

  • 4 whole star anise

  • 2 pounds oxtail

  • 5 quarts water

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks

  • 1 small daikon, peeled and cut into large chunks

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste

  • 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

To Serve

  • 1 package rice noodles

  • Scallions, thinly sliced

  • Cilantro, roughly chopped

  • Red chilis

  • Thai basil

  • Lime wedges

  • Hoisin sauce

  • Sriracha

Directions

Oxtail Pho

8 Steps

  • Step 1

    Char ginger and onions in the oven on broil until everything is nicely charred. Peel the ginger and onions and set aside until you’re ready to start your broth.

  • Step 2

    Toast the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise in a dry pan on low heat until spices are aromatic, about 2-3 minutes. Tie the spices up in cheesecloth for easy removal from your soup. If you do not have whole spices and you really don't want to buy whole spices, you can use a teaspoon of each dried spice. This may affect the final colour of your stock though.

  • Step 3

    Put your oxtail pieces in a large pot with cold water and bring to a hard boil for 5-10 minutes to force the scum and impurities out. There will literally be foamy 'debris' at the top of your boiling water. Drain, rinse the oxtails and wash your pot.

  • Step 4

    Fill your clean pot with about 5 quarts of water and add the oxtail, ginger, onions, spice packet, cinnamon stick, carrots and daikon. Bring to a boil and lower to a very gentle simmer, uncovered. Simmer for as long as you can; reducing it will intensify the flavour. Let the water reduce and simmer for at least 4 hours.

  • Step 5

    After 4 hours, take out oxtails, set aside, remove everything else from the stock and strain the stock into a new clean pot and cool before putting in the fridge overnight.

  • Step 6

    Remove the meat from the oxtails and discard the bones, cover and put in the fridge for the next day. The meat should fall off the bone.

  • Step 7

    The next day, a large amount of fat will have coagulated on the top of your stock. The stock will also be gelatinous. Skim and discard the fat. Gently heat the stock up and season with fish sauce and sugar. Keep in mind that you will be adding hoisin to the stock later when eating, so the stock does not have to be that salty. Bring the stock to a roiling boil.

  • Step 8

    Prepare your noodles according to the package, strain and place in a large bowl. Add a generous amount of oxtail meat (the stock will heat the meat up), top with broth and all the garnishes. Enjoy your homemade bowl of pho!

Ingredients

Stock

  • 1 3"-4"-inch piece of ginger

  • 2 white onions, halved

  • 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds

  • 1 teaspoon whole cloves

  • 4 whole star anise

  • 2 pounds oxtail

  • 5 quarts water

  • 1 cinnamon stick

  • 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into large chunks

  • 1 small daikon, peeled and cut into large chunks

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste

  • 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste

To Serve

  • 1 package rice noodles

  • Scallions, thinly sliced

  • Cilantro, roughly chopped

  • Red chilis

  • Thai basil

  • Lime wedges

  • Hoisin sauce

  • Sriracha

Tags:

Pho Recipe

Toronto Recipes

Oxtail Pho