Crush a small amount of ginger and squeeze out the juice. Mix with a pinch of salt and use to marinate the thinly sliced rare beef. Set aside.

Take the remaining ginger, lightly smash it along with 3–4 shallots and the squid tentacles. Grill or broil until fragrant, then peel off any charred skin from the ginger and shallots.

Crack the black cardamom, and lightly crush the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cilantro roots. Place all in the spice bag and tie securely.

Place the beef bones in a pot of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn off the heat and discard the water. Refill with fresh water, then add the ginger, shallots, dried or fresh squid tentacles, and the prepared spice bag.

Simmer the bones for about 30 minutes, then add the brisket and beef tendon. Continue simmering for about 1 hour 30 minutes, seasoning to taste with sugar and fish sauce or salt. When the brisket and tendon are tender, remove them and let cool. Continue simmering the bones for another 30–45 minutes to extract more flavor.

Blanch the rice noodles in boiling water, then place in bowls. Add the rare beef, sliced brisket, tendon, green onions, and chopped cilantro. Ladle the boiling hot broth over the top to cook the rare beef. Sprinkle with black pepper. Serve hot with hoisin sauce, red chili sauce, Thai basil, sawtooth herb, bean sprouts, and lime.

Serve with: