December and January have been LONG. And we have eaten far too much, We still want a hug in a bowl but we just want it a little lighter! So what's a nutritious and delicious warming recipe that's going to boost us into spring? Oh hello Pho - the perfect dish!
Pho is a sensational Vietnamese beef noodle soup. It has a savoury, lightly spiced full flavour that TASTES healthy. Now we aren't experts here, but in case you're wondering, it's pronounced 'fuh' or 'faa-uh'. 'Learn Vietnamese with SVFF' on YouTube has a great little tutorial showing you exactly how to get it right (this was especially handy after a friend of ours was convinced it's pronounced 'Poe'!).
So whip up this rejuvenating Pho any time you need a boost.
Beef Pho (serves 2)
For the broth
- 500ml Beef Stock
- 2 banana shallots (the long ones, not the round ones)
- large thumb sized piece of ginger
- 1 stick of cinnamon
- 2star anise
- 1tbsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp cloves
- 1tsp palm sugar
- 1tbsp fish sauce
To serve
- 200g cooked flat rice noodles
- 250g Thinly sliced beef steak (sirloin without the fat or fillet is best)
To Garnish
- Red chilli
- handful of thai basil and coriander
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1. Start warming the beef stock on a medium heat.
2. In a separate pan on medium heat, add the dry spices and warm through until fragrant, then add this to the beef stock in your other pan.
3. Sit the shallot and ginger in a frying pan with a little oil over a high heat and char on all sides. Once charred, add to the beef stock. Bring the stock to the boil, then turn to a simmer and cook for 30mins before straining.
4. Taste the stock and use the fish sauce and sugar to season.
5. Thinly slice the steak, cook noodles and get all of your garnish together (slice chillis, chop herbs, slice spring onions)
6. Bring the stock back up to the boil, into two bowls place noodles and place beef on top. pour on the hot stock (the heat from the stock will cook the beef to perfection) garnish with the chilli, spring onions and herbs and then serve with the lime wedges to squeeze all over.
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