Phở khô Gia Lai — Pleiku two-bowl pho

Bring the 3 L of blanching water to a boil. Blanch the beef bones for 5 minutes. Drain; rinse the bones and pot and discard the blanching water.

Return bones to the clean pot with 2.5 L fresh water. Bring to a gentle simmer, skimming foam. Add brisket, onion and ginger. Simmer gently for 90 minutes, keeping the meat submerged, until the brisket is tender.

Lift out the brisket and let it cool briefly, then slice thinly across the grain. Continue simmering the bones for 45 minutes. Strain the broth; season with fish sauce, rock sugar and salt. Keep it at a gentle simmer.

Cook the dried noodles according to the package directions until just tender. Drain and rinse briefly with warm water. Divide among four serving bowls.

Warm the neutral oil in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant and pale gold, without letting it brown deeply. Transfer half the garlic oil to a small bowl.

Add ground pork to the skillet with black pepper and half the scallions. Cook, breaking it into small pieces, until no pink remains and the centre reaches 71°C / 160°F. Stir in tương đen and 30 ml hot broth; cook for 2 minutes.

Toss the noodles with the reserved garlic oil and pork mixture. Top with sliced brisket and the remaining scallions. Ladle hot clear broth into four separate bowls. Serve each noodle bowl with its own broth bowl, bean sprouts, herbs and lime.

Cool leftover broth promptly in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours. Store noodles and meat separately; use within 3–4 days or freeze. Reheat broth to a full simmer and leftover meat until steaming hot.