Vietnamese Rice Noodle Soup with Beef

By RoketJSquerl

This recipe is incredibly fast to prepare. You can make the broth in advance and after that it is just a matter of stirring things into the broth. The meat is sliced so thin that you just stir it into the hot broth and you can do the same with the mushrooms and snow peas. Don’t skimp on the herbs because they add a ton of flavor.

Ingredients

• For the Broth:
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon ginger, minced
• zest of 1 lime
• 1/3 cup fish sauce
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 star anise pods
• 5 whole cloves
• Noodles, Meat, and Garnish
• 8 ounces dried, flat rice noodles
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 cup snow peas
• 1 cup loosely packed Thai basil
• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves
• 2 green onions, sliced thin on the bias
• 12 ounces flank steak, sliced thin across the grain

Preparation

Step 1

For the Broth:

Heat the oil in a medium-large stock pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, lime zest, and 1 tablespoon of fish sauce. Cook until vegetables are soft, about 4 more minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, beef broth, and water. Bring to a boil.

Stir in the soy sauce, sugar, anise, cloves, and remaining fish sauce. Cover, reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the flavors have blended, about 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer. Broth can be made up to a day in advance and refrigerated until needed.

For the Noodles, Meat and Garnish:
Cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain the noodles, and portion them between the bowls. Arrange the basil, cilantro, lime wedges, and green onion on a plate.

Return the strained broth to a clean saucepan, bring to a brief boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in the beef, mushrooms, and snow peas and let stand off the heat for 2-3 minutes. Ladle the soup on top of the prepared bowls. Serve immediately, passing the garnishes round the table.