This recipe has been one of my favourites for many years. I used to live in Cambridge opposite a very perfectly sized all you can eat pho buffet. Sure they did other things, but my favourite thing to do was go for a Pho dinner with my friends. Their buffet style restaurant allowed me to create and develop my soup to what it is today. This recipe is a little part of my life on a plate and I hope you love it as much as I do.
Soup
2tbsp sesame oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 chillis, deseeded and sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1/2tsp Chinese five spice
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 cloves, whole
5cm knob of ginger, grated
250ml stock
3 tsp gluten free soy sauce
1.5tsp fish sauce
100g carrots, diced
2-3 pak choi
1-2 packs dried rice noodles (ribbons are best)
1 lime
150g beansprouts
2-4 Spring onions, sliced diagonally
Sesame seeds for decoration
Here you have two choices: Vegetarian / vegan or meat. This basic pho soup recipe that you can adapt however you choose.
If you are a veggie then you can use vegetable stock and serve it with tofu; I like to use a bit of chilli sauce, like sriracha, paint my tofu pieces and then place on a very hot grill for 3-5 minutes each side. This way you have a nice spicy, chargrilled taste to offset the soup!
For a more meaty option choose beef stock and serve with a ribeye steak (one will be more than enough for two people). Simply season and grill on high heat for 2 minutes on each side.
Method
Place a deep dish pan on a medium heat. Add the sesame oil and warm. Add the onions, garlic and 1 chilli and fry until soft, but not brown. Add your spices to the pan and mix well, frying for a minute to release the flavours.
Add your carrots to the spiced pan and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the soy sauce, fish sauce and stock. Mix well, bring to the boil then simmer for 5 - 10 minutes.
Heat up a griddle pan or bbq until hot. Season your steak or tofu then place onto the grill for 2 minutes each side until clear charred marks can be seen. Leave to rest. The beef will be rare but the soup will continue to cook the meat at the end, making it the perfect accompaniment to this dish! Bring the soup back up to boiling point, add your noodles, pak choi, lime juice and simmer for 2 minutes.
To serve, place the beansprout in the bottom of the bowl, add the noodles and vegetables, top up with the soup and gently place your sliced beef or tofu on top. The soup will soften your tofu and finish cooking the beef to the perfect medium rare.
Finally top with sliced chilli, spring onions and sesame seeds.
