Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)

Name: Pho (Vietnamese Noodle Soup)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Ingredients: 1 large white onion (peeled and halved); 3- inch piece of fresh ginger (halved lengthwise); 5 star anise; 4 whole cloves; 3 (3-inch) cinnamon sticks; 2 cardamom pods; 1 tablespoon whole coriander seeds; 8 cups good-quality beef stock (or chicken or vegetable stock); 1 tablespoon brown sugar; 2 teaspoons fish sauce; fine sea salt (to taste); 8 ounces raw steak* (very thinly sliced); 7 ounces uncooked thin rice noodles; garnishes: fresh herbs (cilantro