Ingredients

• 4 pounds of beef shin with bones or 2 - medium oxtails, cut up.
• 1 medium onion, unpeeled
• 5 slices fresh ginger
• 1 piece star anise
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons of Chinese fish sauce
• 1 bundle medium Chinese Vermicelli
• Boiling water
• 1/2 pound leftover cooked sirloin (or beef tenderloin or eye chuck), thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, chopped
• Fresh cilantro sprigs
• Pepper
• Fresh chiles, sliced

Directions

1. Boil beef (with bones) or oxtails in 3 quarts cold water.  Skim off foam and fat. Cover and simmer for 4 hours.
2. Broil onion until flesh is soft, turning often. Peel. Add onion, ginger, anise, salt, and fish sauce to beef broth just before it has finished simmering.
3. Also just before beef broth finishes simmering, drop vermicelli into a pot of boiling water. Cook 8 minutes, remove from water, rinse in cold water, and drain. Divide vermicelli into three equal portions and place in 3 individual serving bowls.
4. Divide beef into 3 equal portions and place on top of vermicelli in the bowls. Garnish each bowl with scallions and 2 or 3 fresh cilantro sprigs.
5. Strain broth, reserving beef and flavorings. Pour one cup broth over contents of each bowl. Sprinkle with pepper and chiles. Serve immediately. 
6. Reserved beef, flavourings, and extra broth can be eaten separately.