Pho Bo

For this post I made my all time favorite, Vietnamese Pho Bo (Beef). This my family's all time favorite to the extent that we enjoy this dish almost bi-weekly. Thus I saw it fitting to attempt to recreate this dish at home. Although the result was very good, I would still prefer to dine out for this particular dish. But, Carla's tip of finding most of the ingredients at an Asian market was extremely helpful and certainly did make the process of making the dish more obtainable, the end result can't beat my favorite Pho spot. I still encourage you all to recreate and enjoy this dish, there is always room for modification as ell so that it can suit both you or your family's needs. 

Recipe (Serves 4)

Ingredients:

8 oz boneless beef sirloin, trimmed 

3 quarter inch thick slices ginger root

1 onion (unpeeled), halved

8 cups beef stock

2 whole star anise

1 stick cinnamon

4 oz flat rice noodles

2 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch of black pepper

1 serrano or other hot green chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 cup bean sprouts, rinsed

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

4 lime wedges

Preparation:

1. Place beef in the freezer for 20 minutes.

2. Heat a dry heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and onion; saute until blackened in spots on all sides, about 5 minutes. 

3. In a large pot, bring stock, blackened ginger and onion, star anise and cinnamon stick to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes to blend the flavors. Strain the stock and discard all solids. Return to pot. 

4. With a very sharp knife, cut partially frozen beef across the grain into paper-thin slices. Set aside. 

5. In a large bowl, cover noodles with boiling water; soak until completely softened, about 15 minutes. 

6. Return stock to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir in fish sauce, brown sugar, salt and pepper, if necessary. 

7. Drain noodles and divide among large bowls. Top with slices of raw beef. Pour about 2 cups of stock into each bowl. Garnish with chili pepper, bean sprouts, basil, green onion and lime wedges. 

Snapshot of my bowl

Snyder, Carla, and Meredith Deeds. 300 Sensational Soups. Toronto: R. Rose, 2008. Print.