Vietnamese Beef Pho

• ½ pound sirloin steak, round eye, or London Broil
• 8 ounces dried rice
• noodles (bahn pho, 1/16,
• 1/8, or ¼ inch wide)
• 3 scallions
• 1 Chili pepper (Thai bird, Serrano, or jalapeno)
• 1 to 2 limes
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• 1 cup fresh herbs (cilantro, basil, Thai basil, mint, or a mix)
• Hot Sauce, Sriracha, or hoison sauce, to serve)

Directions:

1) Peel Onions & cut them into quarters through the root, peel the ginger & slice it into quarters down its length. Using tongs, char the onions & ginger on all sides over high flame on a gas stove, or on a baking sheet placed directly under the broiler (about 5 mins each side)- until the onions & ginger pieces show charred spots. Rinse the pieces under cool water to remove any loose, gritty, overly charred bits.

2) Place the cinnamon, star anise, cloves, & coriander seeds in the bottom of a dry 2 quart saucepan and dry roast over medium-low heat for 1-2 mins, until toasty & very fragrant. Stir frequently to prevent the spices from scorching. To the pan with the spices, add the broth, soy sauce, fish sauce, chopped carrots, and the charred onions & ginger.

3) Bring the broth to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium –low. Cover & continue simmering for 30 mins to give time for all the spices & aromatics to infuse in the broth.

4) While the broth is simmering, put the beef on a plate, cover with plastic wrap & freeze for 15 mins. The edges of the beef should feel firm to the touch, but the beef should not be frozen. This will make it easier to slice the beef thinly. Remove the beef from the freezer & immediately use your sharpest knife to slice the beef into very thin slices. Slice across the grain, & aim for slices no thicker than ¼ inch. Once sliced, keep the beef covered & refrigerated until ready to serve.

5) Bring a second saucepan of water to a boil, drop in the rice noodles and cook according to package instructions. Strain the noodles & run them under cool water to stop cooking. The noodles will start to stick together after cooking, so either divide them immediately between serving bowls or toss with a little neutral tasting oil to prevent sticking

6) Thinly slice scallions & the chili pepper, and cut the lime into wedges. Place the bean sprouts in a serving dish, roughly chop the herbs or tear them with your hands. Arrange all the toppings on a serving dish & place it on a table.

7) When the broth is ready, set a strainer over another bowl or saucepan, and strain the solids from the broth. Place the broth back over low heat and keep it just below a simmer- you should see a fair amount of steam, but the broth should not be boiling. The broth needs to be quite hot to cook.

8) Divide the noodles between serving bowls & top with a few slices of raw beef. Arrange the beef in a single layer so that the slices will cook evenly in the broth; slices that are stacked or clumped may not cook all the way through. Ladle the steaming broth into each bowl, pouring it evenly over the beef in order to cook. The beef should immediately start to turn opaque. Fill each bowl with as much broth as desired

9) Serve the Pho at the table and let each person top their bowl as they like

*Vegetarian Pho: Use vegetable stock or broth & skip the fish sauce. Instead of beef, top the pho with tofu, seitan, mushrooms, bok choy, broccoli, or other vegetables.