Nourishing Pho.

This is not a traditional pho recipe, but it is a very nourishing one that can easily be made at home. I use pork knuckle because it is a very nutritious cut of meat, full of bone marrow and cartilage - this makes the soup rich in collagen/glycine and full of flavour. It is also a cheaper cut of meat.

The immense Asian flavour of this soup comes from the dried spices. It may seem like a long list, but trust me, this meal will become a staple so you will churn through your spices quickly!

Serves 4

Ingredient

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or ghee

500 - 750g of pork knuckle, cut in 2-3 pieces (alternatively you could use any meat on the bone)

1 red onion, quartered

3 garlic cloves, cut in half

3 cm piece ginger, chopped in half

2 cinnamon sticks

1 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon peppercorns

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

5 star anise

5 cardamon pods

6 cups water/bone broth

Noodles of choice (buckwheat noodles or fresh rice noodles are my favourite)

2 tablespoons fish sauce

1 teaspoon honey

1-2 carrots, sliced

2 cups of greens, roughly chopped (broccoli, bok choy)

200g enoki mushrooms

1 bunch Thai basil

To serve (optional) - fresh lime, chili, spring onion,
extra Thai basil

Method

Add oil to a large heavy based pot over medium heat. Once oil is hot, add the meat and brown on all sides with a pinch of salt.

Add onion, garlic, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, peppercorns, fennel, star anise and cardamon. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring so that nothing catches on the bottom.

Add water/bone broth so that the meat is covered. Turn heat down to low and simmer for minimum 3 hours (the longer you simmer, the more flavourful the broth). Alternatively you can simmer it in a low oven at 130 °C.

Remove meat from the pot and allow to cool. Strain broth into a large bowl (or another large pot) and discard the solids. Return the liquid broth to the pot.

Cook noodles as per packet instructions (don’t over cook them, leave them al dente).

Shred meat using a fork and add back into the pot along with the fish sauce, honey, carrots, greens, mushrooms and half of the Thai basil. Simmer for a further 5 minutes.

To serve, add noodles to your bowl then add the soup. Top with lime juice, extra Thai basil, spring onion and chili.