Pho bo by @recipesformax

The most delicious pho bò we have ever eaten in Europe was at a Vietnamese market in Berlin. We are still planing our visit to Vietnam, so hopefully I will be able to add some local tricks to this recipe soon. What I know already is that in some parts of Vietnam the beef is added to bowls raw allowing the heat from the stock to cook it. I haven’t tried this yet but if you do, don’t forget to freeze the meat for 15 minutes to make it easier to slice. I also adjust how much spices I use as I cook. So if you find that 5 tbsp of lemon juice are not enough, just add some more. Also note that if you have all spices needed in your kitchen (as you should) your basket won’t be that expensive…

Ingredients

• 500g fresh rice noodles;
• 200g thinly sliced beef;
• 100g wild mushrooms (optional);
• 300g green beans;
• bunch salad onion chopped;
• 120g pok choi (cut in quarters);
• bunch coriander;
• 4 star anise;
• 1 stick cinnamon;
• peppercorns to taste;
• 5 cloves;
• 3 tbsp fish sauce;
• 3 tbsp soy sauce;
• 5 tbsp lime (or lemon) juice;
• red chilli and lemon wedges to serve (optional);

Step by step

• Prepare the beef broth. Place the beef bones, water, onion, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, cloves in a large saucepan over high heat. Bring to the boil and cook over low heat for about 3 hours. When it’s ready let it cool and then filter removing all solids. Add the fish sauce and lime (or lemon) juice, stir to combine. OR you can prepare your broth using beef stock cubes and adding the spices listed above to save you time and energy.
• Place a large pot over high heat. Add some sesame oil (or any vegetable frying oil) and cook the meat (thinly sliced) for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to a plate. Add the green beans (trimmed) and mushrooms (optional) first. Sauté for a couple of minutes, then add the pan choi, and after a while the salad onions (they all need different times to be cooked). Add the fish and soy sauces and sauté for a couple of minutes until they are tender.
• Cook the rice noodles following package instructions.
• Divide the noodles and the reserved beef evenly among serving bowls. Pour the hot soup and top with the vegetables and fresh coriander. Serve immediately with lime wedges and chilli.

  Your shopping basket

• 270g fresh rice noodles – £1.39
• 200g beef – £4.00
• 100g wild mushrooms (optional) – £2.00
• 300g green beans – £2.04
• bunch salad onion – £0.95
• 120g pok choi – £1.99
• bunch coriander – £0.95
• 100g star anise – £1.59
• 100g stick cinnamon – £0.99
• 100g peppercorns – £1.89
• 100g cloves – £2.29
• 150g fish sauce – £1.39
• 150ml soy sauce – £1.19
• 125g lime (or lemon) juice – £0.46
• 50g red chilli – £0.67
• two lemons – £0.75
• Total basket £24.54 (with spices) or £13.32 (w/o spices) | Cost of ingredients (6 serving) £13.32 | Per serving £2.22