Pho: Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup with Beef and Fresh Herbs

Vietnamese dish consisting of broth, noodles made from rice, a few herbs, and meat. It is a popular street dish, and the specialty of several restaurant chains. The two main varieties are chicken pho and beef pho. There is also Saigon-style pho (sweetened) and Hanoi-style pho (no sugar). The word "pho" may be derived from French pot-au-feu (beef stew)

Ingredients

Cheater's Asian Broth:
1 medium onion, thin sliced
4 large cloves garlic, thin sliced
2- to 3-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and thin sliced
6 whole cloves
1 star anise, bruised, or 1/2 teaspoon anise seed
Fresh-ground black pepper
4 cans low sodium chicken stock, or regular chicken broth
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce

Soup:

6 to 8 ounces linguine-style rice noodles
6 to 8 ounces top round steak (chicken breast can be substituted), sliced extremely thin (see Cook to Cook)

Table Salad:

10 branches fresh coriander
6 to 8 branches Thai, or other basil
2 serrano or jalapeno chiles, thin sliced
Generous handful bean sprouts
1 large lime, cut into wedges
Hoisin sauce
Hot sauce

Instructions

1. Position an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler, and preheat. Double up a very large piece of heavy foil. Scatter on the foil the onion, garlic, ginger, cloves, anise, and 5 grinds of pepper. Broil for 5 minutes, turning the pieces once. You want the onion to have some toasted edges, and the spices should be fragrant. Scrape everything into a 6-quart pot. Be sure to get all the anise seed.

2. Add the broth, sugar, and fish sauce, bring to a gentle bubble, cover tightly, and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Put the rice noodles in a large bowl, and cover them with very hot tap water. (To keep them hot, cover the bowl with a plate.) Soak the noodles for 10 to 15 minutes or until they are tender, but with a little more firmness than you want. Stir a few times. When ready, drain and rinse well with cold water. Divide the noodles between 2 large soup bowls.

4. As the broth simmers and noodles soak, arrange the table salad on a platter and set out the sauces. To serve, divide the beef between the soup bowls. Ladle the bubbling broth into the bowls. Top each serving with a few sprigs of the coriander and serve.