Recipe Of The Month

Pho Bò, Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
Serves 4

Ingredients:

240g beef fillet, thinly sliced

200g rice stick noodles

200g bean sprouts

1l water

For the stock:

1kg beef bones

4l water

1 onion, quartered

2 sticks celery

30g galangal, sliced

1tsp white peppercorns

4 star anise

2 sticks cinnamon

8dsp soy sauce

4dsp black soy sauce

2dsp sugar

30g coriander root

Serve with:

4dsp hot chilli sauce

1 lime, quartered

50g bean sprouts

6 bird’s eye chillies, finely sliced

10g sweet basil

fish sauce

30g spring onion, sliced

10g Vietnamese parsley, chopped

Cooking method

To make the stock:

• Put all the ingredients into a big saucepan, bring it to the boil and simmer gently for 2-3 hours or until the stock has reduced by half.
• Pass it through a sieve and keep to one side.
• Soak the rice noodles in cold water for about 30 minutes until soft, drain and keep to one side.
• Bring a pot of water to the boil, cook the noodles and bean sprouts for 20 seconds, drain and put in a soup bowl.
• Bring the stock to the boil, add the sliced beef and cook for 30 seconds.
• Pour it over the noodles, top with spring onions, Vietnamese parsley and sweet basil.

To serve:

• Serve accompanied with any combination or all of the following: hot chilli sauce, lime wedges, bean sprouts, sweet basil, bird’s eye chillies and fish sauce.
• Garnish with parsley and spring onion.