Vietnamese-style pho

Tamara West

This very simplified version of a Vietnamese pho is comforting and nourishing.

Ingredients

1 Tbsp	Light soy sauce
1 Tbsp	Fish sauce
1 Tbsp	Liquid honey
2	Beef sirloin, steaks (Main)
1 dash	Vegetable oil
250 g	Rice noodles, dried (Main)
1 Ltr	Chicken stock
2	Star anise
4 slices	Fresh ginger, thin
1 cup	Shiitake mushrooms, or button mushrooms, sliced
4 handfuls	Spinach leaves, large, tender and young
1	Red chilli, fresh, very thinly sliced

Directions

1. Stir the soy sauce, fish sauce and honey together in a wide, shallow dish. Put the steaks in the marinade, turn them over, cover and marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Place the rice noodles in boiling water and leave for 2-3 minutes until they soften. Do not let them overcook or they become sticky. Drain and rinse noodles in a colander under cold water and set aside.
3. Bring the stock, ginger and star anise to a gentle boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat a frying pan over a high heat, rub both steaks with a dash of oil and pan-fry the steaks for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from frying pan and leave to rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
5. Add the shiitake mushrooms and spinach to the simmering stock and simmer for a further 2 minutes until both ingredients are just tender.
6. Remove the star anise. Divide the noodles among 4 serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup into the bowls and divide the sliced beef among the bowls. Sprinkle over chilli and serve.

Kathy recommends

If using large spinach leaves, remove the stalks and leave any small mushrooms whole.