Put the beef and the bones in a saucepan with the spice mix and cover with water. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for an hour. Leave to cool and then refrigerate until needed. The beef will need another hour of cooking, any fat should be skimmed off the top and the bones removed before reheating. The beef should then be brought to the boil again, the seasoning adjusted with salt and a teaspoon of sugar. Cover and simmer for another hour. Check the seasoning halfway through the cooking and add more salt and sugar if necessary.

While the beef is cooking a second time prepare the vegetables. Wash the beansprouts thoroughly and soak in boiling water. Chop the green leaves coarsely, any combination of leaves can be used such as romaine lettuce (not iceberg), spinach, rocket, basil, coriander. Finely chop the thai parsley if using this, and the  spring onions. Prepare the rice sticks by putting them in a large bowl and covering with boiling water. Leave for 5 mins, drain the rice sticks and repeat the process with boiling water until the sticks are soft. Drain and put to one side ready to add to the pho.

When the beef is ready, take it out of the broth and chop roughly.

To serve, use deep serving bowls and put the pho together starting with beansprouts at the bottom of the bowl followed by the rice sticks. Next add the green leaves and then the beef with a sprinkling of spring onion and a teaspoonful of hoisin sauce. Spoon the broth into the bowl until all the ingredients are covered, add a squeeze of lemon and a few slices of thinly cut onion.