After my first Pho experience, I became a pho feign. I simply can’t get enough of the stuff–it’s the epitome of comfort food and even better its super healthy for you! Thankfully, I am lucky enough to have an awesome Vietnamese restaurant (Pho & Beyond) close to my home in Philly so I can get my pho fix there, but finding Vietnamese food in Argentina has been quite a challenge. There is one good place called Green Bamboo, serving up tasty Asian inspired dishes including pho, but it is not authentic and it comes at a rather steep price (almost 90 Arg pesos per bowl….totally not in my budget these days!). As a result, I have decided to experiment with making my own Pho, which I will be the first to admit is really faux pho….the real stuff requires a lot more ingredients and whole lot more cooking time.
This being said, my imitation version still gives the unique flavors of the traditional pho broth and the hearty satisfaction of beef soup. Remember though, this soup is all about the garnishes so don’t skimp on those ingredients!
{ Ingredients }
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, peeled
- 3 tablespoons star anise seeds (or 1 whole star anise)
- 1 3″-4″ cinnamon stick
- 4 cups water
- 3 beef bouillon cubes
- 2-3 cups of mixed mushrooms, chopped (oyster, baby bella, crimini, shitaki)
- 1 whole scallion, thinly sliced
- Kosher salt
- 1 package of thick rice noodles, cooked out
- 1 pound of eye round steak, sliced as thinly as possible
- 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
- Bean sprouts, sliced chilis, fresh basil leaves, sliced scallion, and lime wedges for garnish
{ To Make Pho } Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add the onion (cut side down), crushed garlic, and ginger. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is fragrant–approx. 3-4 minutes.
Add the water, bouillon cubes, star anise, and cinnamon stick, bringing to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes. Using a small handheld strainer, skim the seeds and cinnamon pieces out of the stock (you can also remove the garlic and ginger if they are not resting at the bottom of the pot).
Add the mushrooms and sliced chiles, and allow to cook for another 2 minutes. Add the scallion and season with kosher salt, according to taste. Remove from heat.
Add the sliced beef to the soup and stir to combine (the beef should cook through almost instantly, if it has been sliced thinly enough).
Divide rice noodles among bowls and ladle broth into each bowl. Garnish the soup with basil, bean sprouts, lime juice, scallion, and sliced chiles. If you like spicy, then add a dash of Sriracha sauce!
TheGrubDaily 