Vietnamese Pho Bo

It's official: I've hit the culinary jackpot. After months of devouring weekly bowls of vietnamese pho soup in a cozy central London eatery, I decided to attempt to recreate the incredibly well seasoned, fully satiating dish.

This soup represents the Vietnamese equivalent of chicken noodle, but it's so much better on every level. To begin, the base is composed of a rich broth that is seasoned with cloves, cardamom pods, star of anise, cinnamon, and a hint of sugar. To be honest, I was skeptical about the taste combination of such spices in an asian dish, but I was obviously proved wrong. Large chunks of beef (chicken, seafood, or even tofu) are added give it some serious substance. But what makes pho different from any other soup I've ever eaten are the fresh herbs that are added seconds before eating. I literally can't enough of this stuff. It's that good.

So, while feeling more confident than usual this afternoon, I ventured to Chinatown to pick up ingredients. However, you don't need an asian grocer to do so... For me, making pho was more so an excuse to peruse the shelves of rice noodles, chilli pastes, and dried mushrooms. Any Sainsburys, Dierbergs, or Provigo most likely carries everything you need (perhaps with an exception for flat rice noodles).

So, for a magical pot of Pho Bo (beef soup), gather the following:

Beef cubes that dissolve in water (I used five, but it went into a proper stock pot)
1/2 lb beef brisket
1 package of asian flat rice noodles
1 large bag of bean sprouts
1 package of baby button mushrooms (or any other mild mushrooms. no portobello!)
Handfuls of fresh mint, coriander (cilantro), and spring onions
A few small red chilies
soy sauce
1 lime
Asian chili sauce (I prefer the chilli/garlic combination)
1/3 cup whole cloves, cardamom pods, and star of anise
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar

First, soak the rice noodles in large bowl of lukewarm water for 15 minutes. While the noodles are soaking, begin the broth by dissolving beef stock cubes in boiling water. When they dissolve completely, taste the broth to make sure it's strong enough. If it's not, add more cubes. If it is too strong, add water.

Next, add all the spices to the broth and let it simmer for 10 minutes. Smash the garlic cloves with the side of a large chopping knife (so that each clove is fractured) and add it to the broth at the same time. After 10 minutes, remove the spices and garlic using a strainer-ladel. Make sure to get all the cloves, star of anise, and cardamom pods out, otherwise you'll bite down on them later and I promise it won't be pleasant.

Thinly slice the brisket and add it to the broth. Add the mushrooms, whole or chopped at the same time. Let this simmer for another 5-10 minutes. While the soup is simmering, roughly chop the mint, spring onions, red chillies, and coriander and put them aside.

Give the soup a taste. It should be mostly beefy, with a slight hint of clove and cinnamon. You can also add the chilli paste at this point, but be careful to only do so in 1/2 teaspoon increments.  As you all know, I'm all about following an improvised, taste-driven recipe, so feel free to add bits of more flavor to see what happens.
By now, the rice noodles should be soft. Drain them and spoon them into a large bowl. Next, do the same with the fresh bean sprouts. Top them with ladel-fulls of hot soup. Lastly, sprinkle the herb mixture. I like to add a bit of soy sauce, fresh red chillies, and a squeeze of lime juice at the very end.

Et voila! Vietnamese for dinner!