Daring Cooks! Vietnamese Pho

Oops! Better late than never. This month we made pho, which I love. Pho is a Vietnamese dish of broth with rice noodles and meat, and you get to customize it to your taste. Served alongside is usually a plate of sprouts, lime, chilis, basil, and maybe a few other things. I added scallions, cilantro, and onion as well.

The October 2009 Daring Cooks' challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

Vietnamese Pho

Green means my addition

For the broth:

2 T whole coriander

4 whole cloves

2 whole star anise

2 cardamom pods

1 T fennel seeds

8 c chicken broth

1/2 onion

1 3-inch hunk of ginger, peeled and chopped

1-2 T sugar

1-2 T fish sauce

Heat a pan over high heat. Add the spices and toast, shaking the pan so the spices don't burn. When you can start to smell them, they're done. Remove them from the pan, then combine all the ingredients (including the spices) in a pot and cook for 20-30 minutes. Strain the broth, then keep it on a low simmer while you get everything else ready.

For the soup/assembly:

1 lb rice stick noodles

1/2 lb thinly sliced beef

2 c bean sprouts

a handful fresh cilantro

a handful Thai basil

1/2 shaved red onion

1/2 lime, cut into wedges

sliced fresh chilis

3 sliced scallions

Cook the noodles according to your package directions.

Arrange the bean sprouts, cilantro, basil, onion, lime, chilis and scallions on a plate. Divide the noodles between bowls, top with sliced meat, then pour the hot broth over. The broth will help cook the beef. Add whatever additions you'd like, and enjoy!

We were supposed to make a dessert wonton, but I didn't have time and also, us gluten-free people can't use wonton wrappers. I wasn't up to that challenge today.