The best bowl in Montreal: French onion soup

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 1/4 hr · Medium

Make the spice paste from scratch if you can (it's what makes it); a good jar of laksa paste is the shortcut. The bowl is a mix of noodles, so use both thick egg noodles and thin rice vermicelli.

You need

• For the paste: 8 dried red chiles (soaked in hot water 20 minutes), 6 shallots, 4 cloves garlic, 2 stalks lemongrass (white part), 1-inch piece galangal or ginger, 1-inch piece fresh turmeric (or 1 tsp ground), 6 candlenuts or macadamias, 1 tsp shrimp paste (belacan), toasted, 1 tbsp ground coriander
• 3 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 lb (450 g) boneless chicken thighs
• 4 cups (960 ml) chicken stock
• 2 cans (13.5 oz / 400 ml each) coconut milk
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp fish sauce, plus salt to taste
• 12 large prawns, peeled
• 12 tofu puffs, halved
• 1 small Asian eggplant, in wedges, fried or steamed
• 8 oz (225 g) fresh thick yellow egg noodles
• 4 oz (115 g) rice vermicelli
• To serve: bean sprouts, Vietnamese mint (laksa leaf) or regular mint, sliced cucumber, halved boiled eggs, lime, sambal

How to make it

1. Blend all the paste ingredients with a splash of the chile soaking water until smooth, 2 minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and fry the paste, stirring often, 8-10 minutes, until it darkens, smells toasty and the oil separates. Don't rush this step.
3. Add the stock and chicken thighs and simmer 20 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Lift out the chicken and slice it.
4. Pour in the coconut milk, add the sugar and fish sauce and bring to a gentle simmer, 5 minutes. Taste for salt.
5. Add the tofu puffs and prawns and cook 3 minutes until the prawns turn pink.
6. Blanch the egg noodles in boiling water 1 minute and soak the vermicelli in boiling water 3 minutes; drain both.
7. Divide the noodles, chicken and eggplant among 4 deep bowls, ladle the laksa with prawns and tofu over, and top with bean sprouts, mint, cucumber and egg. Serve with lime and sambal.

Pans and tools

• Blender
• large pot
• saucepan for the noodles

Chef's tips

• Tofu puffs soak up the broth: they're the best bite.
• The paste keeps a week in the fridge or 3 months frozen; make double.
• Don't boil hard once the coconut milk is in, or it can split.

Contains: shellfish, fish, gluten, egg, soy, tree nuts.

Our recipe, the same one we give for curry laksa in Melbourne. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.

Serves 6 · 2 hr 30 min · Easy

Whole yellow peas, not split, are traditional; they hold a little texture. Soak them the night before.

You need

• 1 lb (450 g) whole dried yellow peas, soaked overnight
• 1/2 lb (225 g) salt pork or a smoked ham hock
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried savory (sarriette) or thyme
• 10 cups (2.4 l) water
• Salt and pepper

How to make it

1. Drain the peas and put them in a big pot with the pork, vegetables, herbs and water.
2. Bring to a boil, skim, and simmer partly covered 2 hours, until the peas are soft and some have broken down.
3. Lift out the pork, cut the meat into small pieces and return it.
4. Season carefully (the pork is salty) and thin with water if needed.

Chef's tips

• Mash some peas against the pot for a thicker soup.

Contains: celery..

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.

Serves 4 · 12 hr (mostly simmering) · Weekend project

Tonkotsu is pork bones boiled hard, not simmered, until the fat and collagen emulsify and the broth goes white. It takes a day, but it's mostly waiting.

You need

• 4 lb (1.8 kg) pork trotters and neck bones, cut by the butcher
• 1 lb (450 g) chicken backs
• 1 onion, halved, 1 head garlic, halved, 2-inch (5 cm) ginger, sliced
• 4 scallions, white parts
• For the tare: 1/2 cup (120 ml) soy sauce, 1/4 cup (60 ml) mirin, 2 tbsp sake, 1 tsp salt
• 1 lb (450 g) pork belly, rolled and tied
• 4 eggs
• 4 portions (about 1 lb / 450 g) thin fresh ramen noodles
• To serve: sliced scallions, nori, bean sprouts, pickled ginger, sesame seeds

How to make it

1. Cover the bones with cold water, bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes, drain and scrub off the grey scum. Clean the pot.
2. Return the bones with fresh water to cover by 2 inches (5 cm). Boil hard, lid off, 10 to 12 hours, topping up with boiling water to keep the bones covered. Add the onion, garlic, ginger and scallions for the last hour. Strain: you want about 2 quarts (1.9 l) of white broth.
3. Meanwhile, braise the pork belly in the tare plus 1 cup (240 ml) water, covered, at a low simmer for 2 hours, turning now and then. Cool, slice thin, and keep the braising liquid.
4. Boil the eggs 6 1/2 minutes, chill in ice water, peel and soak in 1/2 cup of the braising liquid for at least 4 hours.
5. Put 2 tbsp braising liquid in each warm bowl. Cook the noodles 1 minute less than the packet says, drain well and add. Ladle 2 cups of boiling broth over each, then top with pork, a halved egg, scallions and nori.

Chef's tips

• A pressure cooker gets the broth white in about 2 hours on high.
• Taste the broth with the tare in it before adding salt; the tare is the seasoning.

Contains: wheat, soy, egg, sesame.

Our recipe, the same one we give for tonkotsu ramen in Amsterdam. Saved, it opens in Chef Amazing with a timeline, mise en place and what you already have.