Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (33 page)

3
whole
star anise
2
teaspoons whole
coriander seeds
1
cinnamon stick
3
whole
cloves
1
green cardamom pod
2
tablespoons
ghee
or fat of choice, divided
8
slices unpeeled
ginger
, each ½ inch thick
½
large
yellow onion
, peeled
2
(
1
-pound)
beef cross shanks
,
1
½ inches thick
1
½
pounds
oxtails
1
½
pounds
beef brisket
, cut in half along the grain

8
cups
water
3
½
tablespoons Paleo-friendly
fish sauce
½
pound
beef eye of round roast
8
cups
Zoodles
, (optional)
2
limes
, cut into wedges
3
jalapeño peppers
, sliced
1
bunch fresh
cilantro
1
bunch fresh
Thai basil
1
bunch fresh
mint
2
cups
bean sprouts
Paleo Sriracha

1. H
   eat a large frying pan over medium-low heat. Toss the star anise, coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, and cardamom pod into the dry pan and swirl them around until they’re fragrant, about
   2
   to
   3
   minutes. Transfer the spices to an empty bouquet garni bag or loose tea leaf bag, and place it in a
   6
   - or
   8
   -quart pressure cooker. (This step’s optional, but it beats having to fish out all the seeds when you’re ready to eat.)
   
2. C
   rank up the burner to medium, and add
   1
   tablespoon of ghee to the pan. Once the fat has melted, add the ginger and onion, and cook for
   3
   to
   5
   minutes or until they’re golden brown on both sides. Transfer the ginger and onion to the pressure cooker.
   
3. A
   dd the remaining tablespoon of fat to the hot pan. Once it’s sizzling, sear the beef cross shanks and oxtails in batches. Be careful not to overcrowd the pan; give the meat room to properly brown and develop the complex flavors necessary for the quick-cook broth. Resist the urge to frequently flip the meat. When the beef’s nicely browned on the outside, transfer the pieces to the pressure cooker.
   
4. L
   ay the raw brisket on top of the seared meat in the pressure cooker. Add the water and fish sauce. The meat should be submerged, but make sure the contents of the pot don’t exceed two-thirds of the cooker’s capacity. Lock the lid onto the cooker, and bring it up to high pressure. (Be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Remember: safety first!)
   
5. T
   urn down the heat to the lowest burner setting necessary to maintain high pressure, and cook for
   50
   minutes. Set a kitchen timer so you don’t forget. While the soup is cooking, place the eye of round roast in the freezer for
   20
   to
   30
   minutes. Once the beef is partially frozen, cut it across the grain into thin slices.
   
6. W
   hen the timer goes off, take the cooker off the heat, and release the pressure naturally, about
   10
   minutes. Remove the lid, taste the broth, and season with more fish sauce if needed.
   
7. R
   emove the spice bag and strain the broth. Discard the bones, onions, and ginger, but reserve the meat. Cut the brisket across the grain and break up the large pieces of shank. Divide the meat into individual serving bowls. (I like to make this recipe sans noodles, but if you can’t wrap your head around noodle-less pho, divide some zoodles into individual serving bowls, too.) Top the bowls with slices of raw eye of round.
   
8. L
   adle the steaming broth into the serving bowls. The piping-hot pho broth will cook the raw beef (and zoodles, if you’re using them). Arrange your garnishes—the lime wedges, sliced peppers, cilantro, Thai basil, mint, and bean sprouts—on a platter, and provide a squirt bottle of sriracha, too. Invite your guests to season their pho to their heart’s desire.
   

If you’re a classicist (or don’t have a pressure cooker), you can prepare pho the traditional way:
slooowly
. After all,
pho
broth is traditionally slow-cooked for hours—or even days—to heighten the intensity of the beefy stock, and to infuse it with the steamy aroma of star anise, cinnamon, and cloves. Just follow the same steps as above, but use a slow cooker rather than a pressure cooker, and set it to cook on low for
12
hours. The only drawback to this method? It’ll fill your house with a tantalizing fragrance that’ll make your stomach growl for hours.