Faux Pho

6 oz. rice sticks (rice vermicelli)
1/4 lb. snow peas
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup sliced shallots
3 (1/8-inch thick each) slices of ginger, smashed
1 tsp. minced serrano chile, with seeds
3-1/2 cups beef stock or store bought broth
1-3/4 cups water
1/2 lb. sliced rare roast beef torn into pieces (I used sliced sirloin instead)
6 oz. bean sprouts, rinsed
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
1/4 cup loosely packed torn fresh basil
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint
3 tbsp. fish sauce
3 tbsp. fresh lime juice
Salt, if needed

Directions:

Boil noodles unsalted for 4 minutes. Add snow peas and boil 1 minute. Drain and rinse in cold water; drain well. Divided noodles and peas among 4 large soup bowls. Dry saucepan, add oil and heat over med heat. Add shallots, ginger, snow peas and chile and cook till shallots are browned, about 7 minutes. Add stock and water, bring to simmer for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, divide beef, sprouts and herbs among the bowls. Remove ginger from broth and discard (I did not do this. The recipe called for smashed ginger. How they managed to remove smashed ginger is beyond me.). Stir in fish sauce, lime juice and salt. Ladle into bowl and serve.

Comments from kissmytiara :

This is pretty easy and is perfect for summer and winter. It has a nice clean taste and all that cilantro, basil and mint makes a good summer soup. This is waaaaay easier than authentic Pho. Recipe is from Gourmet Cookbook, I just changed the name.

User Reviews:

Nice original name for your recipe, there KMT!!!

Submitted by mnlisab on November 02, 2004

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