Pho Bo (Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup)

Put the beef bones in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes; drain, then rinse the bones and the pot.

In a dry skillet or under the broiler, char the onion halves, ginger slices, and garlic cloves. Separately, toast the star anise, black peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon stick until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Return the bones to the clean pot, add the beef for simmering, the charred onion, ginger and garlic, the toasted spices, and 3000 ml of water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, and simmer uncovered over very low heat for 3 hours. After 1–1.5 hours, remove the tender beef, let it cool, and slice it.

Strain the broth through a fine sieve, return it to the heat, and season with fish sauce, sugar, salt, and ground black pepper to taste; keep it just below a boil.

Cook the rice noodles in a separate pot according to the package instructions until tender, rinse with cold water, and drain well. Put the beef steak in the freezer for 30 minutes, then slice it very thinly against the grain.

Divide the rice noodles, sliced cooked beef, and raw beef among 4 deep bowls. Ladle boiling broth over each portion to cook the thin slices of steak.

Serve immediately with bean sprouts, cilantro, Thai basil, green onion, chili pepper, and lime wedges.