Vietnamese Beef-Noodle Soup

This was my third attempts at Vietnamese soup, and probably my most successful. The beef has a LOT more flavor than the chicken. This recipe called for bok choy which I had never tried before. I liked having some green veggies mixed in the soup.

I was a little skeptical about the beef being cooked solely by the hot soup broth. I made sure the liquid was at a boil before I ladled it into my bowls. Well, I was impressed. It cooked the beef immediately to medium-well. We prefer our beef more on the rare side, so if I make this again, I’ll let the broth cool for a minute or two before adding it to the bowls.

I omitted the fresh herbs and served our portions with generous servings of garlic chili paste and hoisin sauce. We LOVE the extra spicy flavor this combo adds.

Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) sirloin steak
6 oz uncooked rice sticks 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
5 3/4 cups fat-free, less-sodium beef broth
3 cups water
1 tbl less-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp fish sauce
4 cups bok choy leaves
1 small jalapeño, thinly sliced into rings
4 lime wedges
Bean sprouts, fresh basil, fresh mint if desired

Directions
1. Freeze beef for 10 minutes; cut across grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices.

2. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

3. 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; bring to a boil.

4. Strain broth mixture though a fine sieve over a bowl; discard solids. Return broth to pan.

5. Add soy sauce, sugar, and fish sauce; bring to a boil. Add bok choy; simmer 4 minutes or until bok choy wilts.

6. Arrange noodles into each of 4 large bowls. Divide raw beef and pepper slices evenly among bowls. Ladle about 1 2/3 cups hot soup over each serving (broth will cook beef).

7. Top each serving with bean sprouts, basil, and mint as desired. Serve with lime wedges.

The Facts
4 Servings