The best bowl in Ho Chi Minh City: Phnom Penh noodle soup

Serves 6 · 3 hr · Medium

Central Vietnam's spicy beef noodle soup. Lemongrass and fermented shrimp paste are what make it Huế.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef shank, in one piece
• 2 lb (900 g) pork hock or pork neck bones
• 4 quarts (3.8 l) water
• 6 stalks lemongrass, bruised and tied, plus 2 finely minced
• 1 onion, charred
• 2 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm ruốc), mixed with 1 cup (240 ml) water
• 3 tbsp oil, 4 shallots and 4 garlic cloves minced, 2 tbsp chile flakes, 1 tsp annatto (or paprika)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 lb (680 g) thick round rice noodles (bún bò)
• Thinly sliced onion, cilantro, Thai basil, shredded banana blossom or cabbage, bean sprouts, lime

How to make it

1. Blanch the pork 5 minutes and rinse. Put it in the water with the beef, tied lemongrass and charred onion, and simmer 2 hours, skimming.
2. Let the shrimp paste settle, then pour the clear liquid (not the grit) into the pot.
3. Heat the oil, fry the minced lemongrass, shallots and garlic 2 minutes, add the chile flakes and annatto, then stir this chile oil into the broth.
4. Lift out the meats; slice the beef and cut the hock. Season the broth with fish sauce, sugar and salt.
5. Cook the noodles, divide among bowls with the meats, pour over boiling broth and serve with the herbs and lime.

Chef's tips

• Add more of the red chile oil at the table.

Contains: fish, shellfish..

Our recipe, the same one we give for spicy Huế beef noodle soup in Vancouver. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 4 hr 30 min

A clear, fragrant beef broth simmered for hours with charred onion, ginger and warm spices, poured over rice noodles and paper-thin raw beef. Inspired by the beef noodle soup at Le Colonial in Houston.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) beef oxtail, cut in sections
• 2 lb (900 g) beef marrow or knuckle bones
• 2 medium yellow onions (about 1 lb), halved and left unpeeled
• 4-inch piece fresh ginger (about 3 oz), halved lengthwise
• 3 whole star anise
• 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 5 quarts (4.7 liters) cold water, plus more for parboiling
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 lb (450 g) dried flat rice noodles (banh pho)
• 8 oz (225 g) beef tenderloin, trimmed and sliced paper thin
• 1 small white onion, very thinly sliced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• 1 cup Thai basil leaves
• 1/2 cup cilantro sprigs
• 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced
• 3 limes, cut into wedges
• Hoisin sauce and sriracha for the table (3 tablespoons each)

How to make it

1. Put the oxtail and bones in the stockpot, cover with cold water by 2 inches, and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil hard for 10 minutes while gray scum rises, then drain and rinse every piece under cold water. Scrub out the pot.
2. Heat the broiler with a rack 4 inches from the element. Broil the onion halves and ginger on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, turning once, until blackened in spots and soft. Cool, peel off the loose skin, and rinse.
3. Toast the star anise, cinnamon, cloves, coriander and fennel in the dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Tie them into cheesecloth.
4. Return the bones to the clean pot with the 5 quarts cold water, charred onion, ginger and the spice bundle. Bring to a boil over high heat, about 20 minutes, skimming off foam.
5. Reduce the heat to low so the surface barely trembles. Simmer partly covered for 3 hours, skimming now and then, and lift out the spice bundle after the first hour so it does not turn bitter.
6. Lift the oxtail onto a plate. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones in large pieces and set aside, returning the bones to the pot.
7. Strain the broth through the fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot, pressing lightly. Skim fat from the top with a ladle, then stir in the fish sauce, salt and sugar and taste, adding fish sauce until savory with a slight sweetness. Keep at a bare simmer.
8. About 40 minutes before serving, wrap the beef tenderloin and freeze it for 20 minutes to firm it up. Soak the dried noodles in warm tap water for 30 minutes, until pliable and white.
9. Slice the chilled beef against the grain as thin as paper. Arrange the sliced onion, scallions, sprouts, basil, cilantro, jalapeno and lime wedges on a platter.
10. Boil a large pot of water and cook the soaked noodles for 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still springy. Drain and divide among 6 large bowls, then lay the shredded oxtail and raw beef slices on top.
11. Bring the broth to a rolling boil, then ladle at least 1 1/2 cups over each bowl; the heat cooks the raw beef to a blush pink within a minute. Serve with the garnish platter, hoisin and sriracha.

Pans and tools

• 12-quart stockpot
• rimmed baking sheet
• dry skillet
• fine-mesh strainer
• cheesecloth or tea ball for spices
• large pot for noodles
• sharp slicing knife
• instant-read thermometer

Chef's tips

• Common mistake: boiling the broth hard, which turns it cloudy. Keep it at a bare simmer and skim.
• Make-ahead: the broth keeps 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen. The fat that hardens on top is easy to lift off.
• Reheat the broth to a full boil before serving or the raw beef will not cook.
• Swap: use beef shank or short rib for part of the oxtail, and gluten-free tamari-free hoisin is optional at the table.

Contains: fish, soy, wheat.

From The Best 100: our home version, inspired by Le Colonial, Houston. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 4 · 1 hr 15 min · Medium

In Hanoi it's made with pounded paddy crabs. Jarred crab paste in soybean oil (sold in Asian markets) plus fresh crabmeat gets close.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) pork bones
• 3 quarts (2.8 l) water
• 1 jar (6 oz / 170 g) crab paste in soybean oil (riêu cua)
• 1/2 lb (225 g) crabmeat or ground pork
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp fermented shrimp paste (mắm tôm), optional
• 3 tbsp oil, 4 shallots sliced
• 5 tomatoes, in wedges
• 2 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar, 1 tbsp tamarind paste
• 8 oz (225 g) fried tofu, halved
• 1 lb (450 g) thin rice vermicelli
• Shredded lettuce, perilla, mint, banana blossom, bean sprouts, lime, chile

How to make it

1. Simmer the bones in the water 1 hour, skimming, and strain.
2. Mix the crab paste, crabmeat, eggs and shrimp paste.
3. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer and drop in spoonfuls of the crab mix. Don't stir; let it rise and set into rafts, about 6 minutes.
4. Fry the shallots in the oil, add the tomatoes and cook 5 minutes, then add them to the broth with the tofu. Season with fish sauce, sugar and tamarind; it should be tangy.
5. Put noodles in bowls, ladle over the broth and crab, and serve with the herbs, lime and chile.

Chef's tips

• Keep the broth at a whisper; boiling breaks up the crab rafts.

Contains: shellfish, eggs, fish, soy..

Our recipe, the same one we give for crab and tomato noodle soup in Hanoi. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 4 · 1 hr · Medium

A thick, slurpy Saigon soup. The broth is thickened with tapioca and colored with annatto.

You need

• 2 lb (900 g) pork bones
• 3 quarts (2.8 l) water
• 1/2 lb (225 g) crabmeat, plus 4 cooked crab claws
• 1/2 lb (225 g) shrimp, peeled
• 2 tbsp oil, 3 shallots minced, 1 tsp annatto seeds (or 1 tsp paprika)
• 3 tbsp fish sauce, 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp tapioca starch mixed with 1/4 cup (60 ml) water
• 1 lb (450 g) fresh thick tapioca noodles (bánh canh), or udon
• 2 eggs, beaten (optional)
• Green onion, cilantro, fried shallots, black pepper, lime

How to make it

1. Blanch the bones, rinse, and simmer in the water 1 hour. Strain.
2. Heat the oil with the annatto until red, strain out the seeds, and fry the shallots 2 minutes. Add the crabmeat and cook 2 minutes.
3. Add the crab mixture, shrimp and claws to the broth and season with fish sauce and sugar.
4. Stir in the tapioca slurry until the broth thickens slightly; drizzle in the eggs if using.
5. Cook the noodles in the broth 3 minutes and serve with green onion, cilantro, fried shallots, pepper and lime.

Chef's tips

• Fresh bánh canh noodles release starch; cook them right in the soup.

Contains: shellfish, fish, eggs (optional), wheat (if using udon)..

Chef Amazing's own recipe, written for a home kitchen. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.