The Easiest Beef Pho Recipe... Ever!

Making a traditional Vietnamese Pho from scratch is often a time-consuming task, but fear not- thanks to the kind foodie folk at The Independent we can offer you a quick and tasty recipe that is just the tonic for a cold winters night. So pop your chefs hat on, sharpen those knives and get your chopsticks at the ready! 

(You can of course substitute the meaty parts with a veggie alternative, or even swap the beef for chicken/prawns etc...)

Inspired? Get the real deal by travelling to Vietnam with our bite-sized modules.

Ingredients

1 tbsp soy sauce 

1 tbsp honey 

2 tbsp fish sauce 

A pinch of sea salt 

2 sirloin steaks (about 300g/10oz each), fat removed 

375g/12oz rice noodles 

1 litre/1¾ pints chicken stock 

5 slices of ginger 

2 tbsp lime juice 

1 cinnamon stick 

2 tsp granulated sugar 

3 star anise 

1 tbsp light-flavoured oil 

3 baby pak choi 

1 red chilli, sliced strips

To serve

Handful fresh coriander 

Handful beansprouts 

2 limes, halved

Put the soy sauce, honey, half the fish sauce and sea salt in a shallow dish and stir to combine. Add the steaks, cover the dish and leave to marinate for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the rice noodles in a large bowl, cover with boiling water and leave to soak according to the instructions on the packet. Drain and refresh under cold running water.

Place the stock, 300ml/ pint water, ginger, lime juice, the remaining fish sauce, cinnamon stick, sugar and star anise in a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high heat for 2 minutes, add the oil and sear the steaks for 2 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for 2 minutes.

Divide the noodles and baby pak choi between four serving bowls. Ladle the hot soup into the bowls and top with sliced steak and red chilli strips. Serve with a handful of coriander, beansprouts and lime halves.