Pho For Fall

Well, I guess I missed soup. No sooner does the cold weather hit than I make soup 3 times in one week! Pho (pronounced “fuh”), or Vietnamese beef noodle soup, is rather scarce here in Eugene. Luckily we have a wonderful Asian market where I can pick up all the goodies needed to assemble this quick and delicious dinner. A few years ago I started from scratch and made the beef broth myself from an internet recipe, but this version is delicious and low-effort.

Pho Bo (serves 4)
Adapted from The Evolution of Pho by Andrea Nguyen, VietWorldKitchen.com

For the broth:
8 c beef broth
1 medium onion, quartered
2-inch chunk fresh ginger, sliced into coins
2-3 star anise
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick (3 inches)
2 T fish sauce
1 small chunk Yellow Rock sugar (2 tsp sugar)
Salt to taste

Bring the broth to a boil. Add the onion, ginger, and whole spices (and sugar if using rock sugar, so it can dissolve). Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Place a mesh strainer over a large metal bowl and pour the broth into it – discard solids and return the broth to the pot. Add the fish sauce, taste and adjust the seasonings according to your taste. (It should taste a bit strong since you will be adding noodles, beef, vegetables and herbs.)

While the broth is simmering, gather and prep your other ingredients:

For the bowls:
12 oz dry rice noodles (banh pho, rice stick, or chantaboon – 1/8″ width). Soak the noodles in warm water for 20-30 minutes to soften them.
1 lb paper-thin sliced steak (I’ve found it at my Asian market labeled as shabu-shabu beef or sukiyaki beef…)
1/2 an onion, sliced very thin and soaked in cold water for 30 minutes.
2-3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c chopped cilantro
1-2 Thai chilies, seeded and cut into several pieces (optional)

Garnishes:
Freshly-squeezed lime juice
Hoisin sauce
Sriracha (hot chili sauce)
Bean sprouts (optional)
Thai basil leaves and/or mint leaves (optional)

To assemble:
Bring the prepared broth to a boil. Drain the noodles from their soaking water and submerge them briefly in the broth, until they are limp but still nicely chewy. Pull the noodles out with tongs and distribute them among the 4 bowls. Add some sliced onion, green onions, cilantro, and a piece of chili to each bowl. Arrange the thinly-sliced steak in a single layer over the top of the noodles in the bowl. Make sure the broth is still boiling, and ladle it quickly over the bowls – it will cook the beef on contact. Use a fork to push any pieces of meat that are still pink under the broth. Add some lime juice to each bowl and serve – diners can add hoisin, sriracha, sprouts and leafy herbs according to their taste.