Canada / Canada's food guide
Pho (beef noodle soup)
This Vietnamese-inspired soup is well seasoned for every mouthful to be pure goodness. You can ask a butcher to thinly slice steak for you or use a sharp chef’s knife to get thin slices at home.
Ingredients
- onion, quartered1
- fresh ginger, peeled and halved3.5 cm (1 ½ inch) piece
- cinnamon stick1
- star anise1
- garlic, whole2 cloves
- hot pepper flakesPinch
- lower sodium beef broth1 L (4 cups)
- water250 mL (1 cup)
- matchstick or shredded carrot125 mL (½ cup)
- red bell pepper, thinly sliced1
- lime juice15 mL (1 tbsp)
- lower sodium soy sauce5 mL (1 tsp)
- brown rice vermicelli noodles125 g (4 oz)
- striploin steak, well-trimmed and very thinly sliced225 g/½ lb
- bean sprouts250 mL (1 cup)
- fresh cilantro, mint and basil leaves, chopped60 mL (¼ cup)
Quantities are auto-calculated from the original recipe as a guide. Items without numbers (e.g. “to taste”) are not changed.
Method 3 steps
In a deep non-stick skillet, brown onion and ginger on all sides over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cinnamon, star anise, garlic and hot pepper flakes. Add broth and water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Using a small sieve, remove all the solid pieces and discard. Stir in carrot, red pepper, lime juice and soy sauce.
In a saucepan of boiling water, cook noodles for about 2 minutes or until softened. Drain.
Divide noodles among soup bowls and top with steak. Ladle hot broth over top of steak to cook. Top with bean sprouts and fresh herbs to serve.
