Pricing Pho

Have no idea if this is correct, but it entertained me,

Let's do the cost estimation (restaurant supplies rate):

FOR BROTH AND MEAT (ENOUGH FOR 20):

   7 pounds beef bones with marrow ($4)
   5 pounds beef brisket ($15)
   6 pounds oxtails ($24)
   6 pounds beef back ribs ($5) + (2)

1 medium onion, peeled and charred directly over a gas burner 9 pieces star anise 6 cinnamon sticks 7 dried cardamom pods 10 whole cloves 1 tablespoon black and white pepper (whole kernel) 1 ounce licorice root (optional) 4 small long white radishes (daikon), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks ($2)

   3 pounds celery, washed and trimmed at base, cut into 2-inch pieces ($1)
   2 teaspoons salt  3 small rock-candy crystals

   FOR 8 BOWLS:

   11/2 pounds 1/4-inch wide dried rice sticks (banh pho) [($1) + ($1)] X 3 = $6
   3 scallions, thinly sliced  1/4 cup shredded cilantro  1 medium onion, sliced paper-thin  Freshly ground black pepper

   ACCOMPANIMENTS: ($2)

4 fresh red or green chile peppers, sliced 3 limes, cut into wedges 1 bunch of fresh mint, separated into leaves 1 bunch of Thai basil, separated into leaves 1/2 cup hot chile sauce 1/2 cup hoisin sauce

   1. Rinse the bones with cold water and soak for 2 hours in a pot. Drain.   

2. Place the beef brisket, oxtails, beef back ribs and beef bones in an extra large stockpot. Add water to cover and bring it to a boil. Simmer for about 15 minutes. Drain. Rinse the pot, bones and meat.

3. Bring the bones and meat back to the pot and add water to cover. Bring to a boil, skimming the surface to remove the foam until it ceases to rise. Add 2 quarts more cold water and bring back to a boil. Skim off all of the residue that forms on the top. Set the heat to low and simmer for one hour.

4. Tie the charred onion, star anise, dried cardamom, cinnamon sticks, cloves, white and black peppers and licorice in a cheesecloth. Add the spice bag in the simmering broth. Simmer for 1 hour.

5. Add celery and radishes and simmer for another hour. Remove the beef brisket, oxtails and back ribs, allow to cool and pull the meat away from the bones and reserve it. Thinly slice the beef brisket. Slice the rib and oxtail meat into small chunks. Set aside.

6. Simmer stock for one more hour, then remove and discard all of the bones. Strain the broth through a strainer lined with a cheesecloth into a clean pot. Add the fish sauce, salt, black pepper and rock-candy crystals, and bring the broth to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer the broth. Broth can be prepared ahead to this point and refrigerated.

7. When ready to serve, bring 5 quarts of water to a boil. Drop the noodles in the boiling water. Drain immediately.   

8. Combine the sliced scallions, shredded cilantro and sliced onion. Set aside.

9. Divide noodles in large soup bowls. Top the noodles with meats. Ladle hot broth over the meat and noodles. Garnish with the scallion mixture and black pepper. Serve with the accompaniments on the side as desired.

==================
Sub-total: about $60

Lacking of rare beef ($10)

Total: $70 + Energy ($10) + labor ( $30) = $110

$110/20 bowls ==> $5.50

NO PROFIT! THIS RECIPE SUCK FOR A BUSINESS!                                          

It's based on something I linked to over two years ago.

Comments

[ourman]

I do recall Bun Cha going on the menu at KOTO and everyone standing around scratching their heads because we just couldn't do it at a price even close to that street price.

We knew that no one living in Hanoi would pay what we priced it at but it was still a big seller with tourists.

As I have admitted before I was never so enamoured with Vina cooking as yourself. However, as the winter starts to knock at the door here in Newcastle I do wish there was somewhere I could buy pho.

I think that is the only Vietnamese dish I miss.

[Graham]

I suspect the Bun cha sellers of Hanoi all have private pigpens - it's the only explanation, unless they're in the charity game. Seriously though, they do get the customer numbers coming in and charity is not a word Hanoians understand, unless they're on the receiveing end .... Whoohoo, shoot me down :)

And yer right about Pho, but there are three within 5 mins of my gaff. In fact I've just come back from one and it was very good.

[Andrea Nguyen]

That's an over-complicated recipe and as for the prices, they're what you'd get if you shopped retail at a Vietnamese market in Little Saigon in Westminster/Garden Grove, California. But what you've got above is a a high-end bowl with the oxtail ($24!), which gives the broth a certain unctuousness. You don't need it if you get good, fragrant marrow leg bones, the true foundation the broth. Leg bones are quite affordable. Hey, where's the nuoc mam in that recipe?

There are Stateside places nowadays serving gigantic $7/8 bowls of pho to a mostly Viet clientele. They're good, not fabulously great. You know me, I make it at home.

[Graham]

I did wonder about the nuoc mam.... One things I've noticed over here is the bowls of Pho are pretty big. But then moving from Hanoi to Saigon you immediately notice the almost doubling in size of the bowl. An the price... Oh, and the quality.... But, let's not go there AGAIN.

[HolyBasil]

I'm wary of the use of cardamom, daikon radish as well as the fresh mint. I don't usually see them in traditional pho. Also, there seems to be a couple of other key ingredients missing like ginger for the broth and saw-tooth herb (rau ngo gai) for the garnish. Making authentic pho bo at home shouldn't be that costly, though it's not cheap either.

[The Guilty Carnivore]

The oxtails make this high-end pho - no run-of-the-mill places are doing that.

Pho prices in Pacific NW (USA) have creeped higher too, at around $7 now for a bowl.

Many places really are chintzy with meat, too. Pho tai rarely has more than an ounce or more of raw eye of round, which is pretty cheap, too.

Also, commercial Pho joints I assume stretch the stock immeasurably...perhaps the stock pot never actually goes empty. It is probably bootstrapped continuously, which would cut down on cost. If we burned through a huge stock pot growing up on the first day, my mom would augment to create a subsequent batch for the relatives.

Who knows, there may be pots of stock that have been on continuous boil for years.

[lirelou]

One factor which has contributed to the lowering of Pho standards in the U.S. (or a raising of the price) has been the rise in prices of what used to be inexpensive ingredients. My wife prefers to boil up the knee caps and surrounding joint in one of her recipes. Problem is, that such items now come at a hefty price, whereas once $0.98 would get you a generous portion. I was told that the nail polish industry now snaps up such material, so when we see them, they are mere sliced kneecaps with no meat. Same is true of pigs ears, bones, and stomach, which are now neatly packaged and come with a nearly four dollar price for a modest amount. The wife used to slice up the pig ears nearly paper thin and then cook the result with coconut milk and something that turned the sauce dark brown. Made a great sandwich.

[Huong]

Daikon is in the stock pot but it's never served to the customer.