Pho soup is a Vietnamese dish very appreciated in Laos. This soup can be eaten at any meal, including breakfast. The rice vermicelli used can be of varying widths but always have a flattened shape (like tagliatelle). They can be bought in fresh or dried form. The broth can be prepared with chicken, pork or beef. In this recipe, I propose my quick beef version.
For 4 persons
Ingredients
Broth
200 g chuck steak
10 g of sliced ginger
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
2 star anises
2 cloves
1 stick of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt
4 tablespoons of fish sauce
½ teaspoon of MSG
Topping
200 g beef (tenderloin, filet mignon or chateaubriand), cut into thin slices
8 beef balls (optional)
600 g dried rice vermicelli
4 tablespoons of chopped culantro
4 tablespoons of chopped coriander
4 tablespoons of coarsely chopped Thai basil
100 g bean sprouts
Method
In a large container, soak the rice vermicelli in cold water for 1 hour.
In a large saucepan, brown the chuck steak with half the onion and ginger in oil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Moisten with 2.5 l of water. Add the salt, star anise, cloves, cinnamon and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer with the lid closed for 45 min.
Remove the steak from the stock, cut it into thin slices and set aside.
Strain the stock through a sieve. Return the stock to the heat and season with the fish sauce and MSG. Add the meatballs and leave to simmer.
Using a small colander or skimmer, cook the beef tenderloin for a few seconds in the meat stock and set aside.
Drain the vermicelli. In a large saucepan, bring water to the boil and blanch the vermicelli for 30 seconds. Divide the vermicelli into 4 large soup bowls. Garnish with remaining onion, culantro, coriander, Thai basil, bean sprouts and meat.
Sprinkle each bowl with hot stock.
“A more traditional way to make the broth would require cooking beef bones and 200 g of beef shank for at least 2 hours. Browning chuck steak is my faster way to cook it.”
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