This is Yai's recipe for Kua Theau as best as I can describe it. It hadn't been written down previously--I wrote it as I watched her cook it.
Beef Broth:
Full stock pot of water
5 pounds of beef (on the bone)
3-4 cinnamon sticks
3-4 large onions (cut in large chunks)
5-6 carrots (cut in large chunks)
3-4 daikon (chunked)
1 large bunch of cilantro ROOTS (save the greens for topping)
4-5 star anise (big pinch)
1-2 teaspoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
1-2 teaspoons fish sauce (more or less to taste)
1/2 to 1 cup palm sugar (can substitute with brown or white sugar)
1/2 cup Tone's beef base
3-5 cloves pickled garlic
Boil all of these ingredients for four hours (until meat falls off the bone).
After a couple of hours, start soaking your sen-mee noodles until soft (takes 1-2 hours). To cook these, boil a separate pot of water and using ga-chon (large wooden-handled net 'spoon'). Put noodles in the net part and then gently dip several times in the pot of boiling water then place hot noodles in bowl. Top with the sirloin strips after you prep them (see bottom of toppings). Ladle broth on top of that then select your toppings for your preferred flavor profile.
Toppings:
1) condiment tray (a) chopped up bird peppers in vinegar, b) minced bird peppers in fish sauce, c) plain, roasted crushed hot peppers, d) hot chili sauce made of garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt and a lot of fresh, spicy red peppers
2) fried garlic (if you fry them yourself, don't overcook--pull them out when golden yellow/don't let them get brown)
3) chopped cilantro
4) chopped up scallions
5) chopped pickled radish
6) bean sprouts
7) sirloin strips (a couple of pounds of this, cooked a bit at a time, using ga-chon to cook strips in the broth as it is boiling.
Beef Broth:
Full stock pot of water
5 pounds of beef (on the bone)
3-4 cinnamon sticks
3-4 large onions (cut in large chunks)
5-6 carrots (cut in large chunks)
3-4 daikon (chunked)
1 large bunch of cilantro ROOTS (save the greens for topping)
4-5 star anise (big pinch)
1-2 teaspoons soy sauce (more or less to taste)
1-2 teaspoons fish sauce (more or less to taste)
1/2 to 1 cup palm sugar (can substitute with brown or white sugar)
1/2 cup Tone's beef base
3-5 cloves pickled garlic
Boil all of these ingredients for four hours (until meat falls off the bone).
After a couple of hours, start soaking your sen-mee noodles until soft (takes 1-2 hours). To cook these, boil a separate pot of water and using ga-chon (large wooden-handled net 'spoon'). Put noodles in the net part and then gently dip several times in the pot of boiling water then place hot noodles in bowl. Top with the sirloin strips after you prep them (see bottom of toppings). Ladle broth on top of that then select your toppings for your preferred flavor profile.
Toppings:
1) condiment tray (a) chopped up bird peppers in vinegar, b) minced bird peppers in fish sauce, c) plain, roasted crushed hot peppers, d) hot chili sauce made of garlic, vinegar, sugar, salt and a lot of fresh, spicy red peppers
2) fried garlic (if you fry them yourself, don't overcook--pull them out when golden yellow/don't let them get brown)
3) chopped cilantro
4) chopped up scallions
5) chopped pickled radish
6) bean sprouts
7) sirloin strips (a couple of pounds of this, cooked a bit at a time, using ga-chon to cook strips in the broth as it is boiling.