Vietnamese Beef-Noodle Soup with Asian Greens, okay Vietnamese/Japanese

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A slightly spicy asian beef-noodle soup.
Adapted from Cooking Light Magazine

  • 4

Ingredients

  • 1 (8-ounce) sirloin steak
  • 4 ounces uncooked wide (maifun) thin rice stick noodles
  • 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced yellow onion
  • 3 whole cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 2 garlic cloves, halved
  • 1 (3-inch) piece peeled fresh ginger, thinly sliced
  • 1 star anise
  • 4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
  • 2 cups water (I used dashi)
  • 1 tablespoon less-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
  • 4 cups baby bok choy leaves
  • 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
  • 1 small fresh Thai chile, thinly sliced into rings (no thai chiles in town anywhere! I used 2 teaspoons sambal oelek)
  • 2 tablespoons light miso
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 cup fresh bean sprouts
  • 1/4 cup fresh (thai) basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
  • 4 lime wedges

Preparation

Step 1

Freeze beef for 10 minutes; cut across grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices.
Cook noodles according to package directions.
Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

Place onion and next 5 ingredients (through star anise) in a large saucepan; cook over medium-high heat 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add broth and 2 cups water (dashi); bring to a boil.
Strain broth mixture though a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return broth to pan.
Add soy sauce, sugar, fish sauce, and sesame oil; bring to a boil.
Add bok choy and snow peas; simmer 4 minutes or until peas are crisp-tender and bok choy wilts.
Add miso at the last minute.

Arrange 1/2 cup noodles into each of 4 large bowls.
Divide raw beef and chile slices sambal oelek evenly among bowls.
Ladle about 1 2/3 cups hot soup over each serving (broth will cook beef). Top each serving with 1/4 cup bean sprouts, 1 tablespoon basil, and 1 tablespoon mint.
Serve with lime wedges.

Makes 4 servings.