With Chef Phúc Nguyên at Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery

Chef Phúc Nguyên

Serve: 40 bowls

Time: 24 hours to make the broth

Ingredients:

Beef bone with marrow: 10 kg

Water: 40 l

Mulwarra beef cube-roll: 4 kg

Oxtail: 2 kg

Cinnamon sticks: 2 stalks

Star anise: 8 pcs

Cloves: 20 pcs

Black cardamon: 4 pcs

Ginger root: 70 gr

Onion: 3 pcs

Shallots: 7 pcs

Peppercorn: 50 pcs

Spring onion: 500 gr

Coriander: 300 gr

Saw leaf: 120 gr

Chili eye bird: 200 gr

Garlic: 300 gr

White vinegar: 1 l

Rock sugar: 100 gr

White sugar: 150 gr

Table salt: 10 gr

Mường Khương chili sauce: 0.5 l

Fish sauce: 60 ml

Chicken flavoured seasoning powder: 400 gr

“Nậm xít” Lào Cai red rice: 3 kg

Upland rice: 6 kg

Cassava starch: 1 kg

Bắc Hà Beef Noodle Soup

Method:

Step 1: Making Bắc Hà fresh rice noodles

Soak the red “Nậm Xít” rice and upland rice in plain water for at least 4 hours before mixing it with water in a mill. To separate the 2 types of milled rice and mix with grain salt at the rate for every 1 litre of milled rice mixture, mix with 200 grams of grain salt for upland rice and 120 grams of hungry grain salt with the “Nậm Xít” rice mixture.

Then leave it in a cool room until the next day, and gently pour out the clear water and replace it with fresh water. For the upland rice mixture, just change the water 3 times, and the flour will be very white, fragrant, delicious and no longer salty.

For “Nậm Xít”, only change the water once. Mix at a ratio of 6:3:1, meaning 6 parts upland rice, 3 parts steamed rice, and 1 part potash. After mixing the flour, the steamed rice is authentic Bắc Hà phở.

If you don’t have the time, rice, or skills to make the noodles, you can buy fresh pink noodles from Bắc Hà or buy flat noodles anywhere and slice them to the width you desire.

Step 2: Making beef phở broth

Soak beef bones and oxtail in cold water with a little salt and then leave in a cool room for at least 8 hours, then pour boiling water in to remove the dirt, then put under running water, drain, and place in a large pot. Fill the pot with cold water, add onions, purple onions, ginger, anise, cardamom, cinnamon, clove buds, and peppercorns. All are baked and then put in a pot of bone broth and simmered over a high heat until the water starts to boil slightly, then reduce heat and skim.

Keep heating and skimming several times for about 24 hours. Then filter for clear water and season with salt, white sugar, chicken powder, rock sugar, and fish sauce according to the ratio. Season to taste.

Step 3: Making beef cube-roll phở

Clean the Australian beef cube-roll a little then tighten with string before marinating with salt and pepper, then sear on a very high heat until the colour is brown, then allow to rest for around 10 minutes before putting in the oven until medium-rare, then take it out and cool before slicing.

Step 4: Plating

Blanch the noodles, arrange in a hot bowl then put the sliced beef on top with aromatic herbs, then pour in the hot beef broth

Step 5: Condiments

Add fried breadsticks with lime wedges, fresh chili, and Mường Khương chili sauce, the signature chili sauce of Lào Cai.

Bon appetit!