Pho restaurants are all the rage. Pho is not difficult to make, but it does take some time to get the broth right. There are lots of “short cut” bullion like cubes that can be purchased at oriental stores to bypass the broth step -but believe me, its worth the time.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Chili Paste (sirracha works great here)
1 small onion, rough chopped
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, smashed
2″ stick cinnamon
1 stalk lemon grass
1 quart of beef broth
1 lb lean beef (petite sirloin works great here) thin sliced across the grain
1 lb rice sticks – prepare as directed
4 jalapeno chiles, split, deveined & slice into thin half rings
1 tsp fish sauce (nam pla in oriental stores)
3-4 Tbsp chopped green onion
1/4 lb bean sprouts
1/2 C nappa cabbage, finely sliced
1/2 C fresh basil, chopped
1/2 C fresh cilantro, chopped

1/2 C Asian vegetable of choice – snow peas/baby corn/bok choy (*optional)

To Prepare: In a 4 qt pan, add the chili paste, onion, ginger, cinnamon, lemon grass and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for an hour. Strain the broth, discard all solids. Prepare your rice sticks. When you are ready to serve the Pho, bring the broth back up to simmer and slide in the beef, fish sauce and half the jalapenos. Turn off the heat, the trick here is to not overcook the beef. Place a load of noodles in each bowl, divide the meat between bowls, pour broth over each serving. Garnish each bowl with the green onion, spouts, cabbage, basil and cilantro. Pass the remaining jalapeno’s.

This was commonly known as “Saigon Soup” during the Vietnam era – a cross between a soup and a salad, its a variable main dish soup. I have used pork instead of beef, but the pork needs about 10 minutes to cook in the broth. I have also used baby corn-split, snow peas, julienned carrots, and even sliced bok choy in addition to the basic vegetables. Based on a DeWitt/Gerlach recipe