Cut onions into quarters, keep one quarter to slice thinly and set them aside. Put the rest of the quarters into a large pot.

Peel & chop the ginger into 4 parts, then crush and place into the pot.

Pour the beef broth into the pot then add in the cinnamon sticks, star anise, cloves, coriander seeds and fish sauce into the pot and bring to a boil. Then reduce heat to medium & continue to simmer for 30 minutes with a cover.

Meanwhile, freeze the beef round eye for 15 minutes. Slice it very thinly across the grain to nothing more than ¼ inch thick (it should be almost see through), then keep them covered and in the fridge until ready to be served.

Bring a pot of water to a boil then pour a small amount of oil into the water, put the noodles into the water (following the package instructions) usually around 1-3 minutes. Drain the noodles and put them into some cold water to stop them cooking. Divide the noodles immediately into serving bowls.

Strain the broth and put back into the pot and keep on low heat - it should not be boiling but it must stay hot for serving.

Prepare the bowls of noodles - lay some sliced beef (in a single layer), some bean sprouts, thin slices of onion, coriander leaves, thai basil and spring onions on top of the noodles.

Pour the steaming broth into the bowl on top of the raw beef so they will cook. Garnish with chillies (if desired), and wedges of lemon, then serve hot.