Asian Fondue
A Vietnamese-style hotpot with a deeply flavored broth of oxtails, beef bones, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon, served tableside with rice noodles, paper-thin sirloin, and fresh garnishes.
Ingredients
- 5 lb beef bones with marrow, soaked overnight
- 5 lb oxtails, cut into small pieces
- 2 each onions, unpeeled, halved, studded with cloves
- 3 each shallots, unpeeled
- 4 oz fresh ginger piece, whole, unpeeled
- 8 each star anise
- 5 clove garlic
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 5 each medium parsnips, cut into 2 chunks
- 1 lb tripe and tendons
- 0.5 lb flank steak
- 0.5 lb beef brisket
- 1 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
- 1 lb dried rice noodles (1/4-inch wide), soaked and drained
- 1 lb beef sirloin, sliced paper-thin
- 2 cup fresh bean sprouts
- 3 each fresh jalapeño peppers, julienned
- 2 each limes, cut into wedges
Instructions
- 1
Place beef bones and oxtails in a large stockpot, cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the pot and bones. Return bones, cover with 6 quarts water, bring to a boil, and skim foam.
- 2
Char the onions, shallots, and ginger directly over a gas burner or under the broiler, 5-6 minutes. Tie charred vegetables, star anise, garlic, and cinnamon in dampened cheesecloth.
- 3
Add the spice bag and parsnips to the simmering broth. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer 1 hour. Add tripe and tendons; simmer uncovered 5 hours.
- 4
Two hours after adding tripe, add the flank steak and brisket. When broth is ready, remove and discard the bones and oxtails. Reserve the tripe, flank steak, and brisket. Strain broth into a clean pot.
- 5
Slice the reserved meats thinly. Set the broth over a portable burner at the table. Arrange noodles, paper-thin sirloin, sliced cooked meats, bean sprouts, jalapeño, lime, and basil around the pot.
- 6
Guests cook thin sirloin slices in the hot broth and assemble their own bowls with noodles, meats, and garnishes. Pass fish sauce for seasoning.