Remedy

The first time I attempted making that beautifully fragrant and savory Vietnamese beef noodle soup known as Pho was in my tiny kitchen in Browne's Addition. Leading up to that moment were a couple of years peppered with visits to my favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Van, where I came to love the comforting broth, particularly on rainy days. Pho seems like a dish you don't try on your own; you go with a guide who shows you what to do with all the trimmings placed aside your steaming bowl. A friend of mine showed me her way of eating it, which has since been my way, and is what I hope is kind of the general way to do it because it's dang good. A smattering of freshly torn basil leaves, a squeeze or two of lime, a daring toss of thinly sliced chilis, and a light topping of bean sprouts are mixed in at the last minute with some sriracha to taste. To me, that is the ultimate.

Feeling completely capable at age 25 with blossoming cooking skills, I ventured to try pho on my own stovetop, and I found a recipe that required a trip to the Asian food market. It was a recipe of sheer discovery. It was the first time I'd ever bought fish sauce, as well as some star anise which I had never seen before, along with the other aromatics and garnishes. I also remember how the meat it called for freaked me out. A couple recipes called for oxtails or beef marrow. I think I ultimately settled on some good beef broth and some eye of the round. I had a dull knife and it felt like the prep work took forever. 

This photo says it all. My eyes were burning from chopping onion so I held a piece a bread in my mouth (an old trick I learned from my Oma). You can see the fresh bottles of sriracha and hoisin sauce on the shelf to my left, the yet unopened fish sauce barely in the frame in the bottom right corner. 

I put so much love and care - and money - into this dish. I was being adventurous! When my friend and I sat down to eat it, however, there was just something missing. It was massively disappointing. I swore I would never try it again. I remember dumping that entire bottle of fish sauce down the drain when I moved out of that apartment a couple years later, and oh, how that sink smelled for days. Good riddance.

Sometimes it just takes time and a little more experience to try these things again, and here we are, seven years later. Thanks again to that ever-reliable Vermonter Christopher Kimball and his America's Test Kitchen empire for making a good-enough version of my beloved soup that I was willing to try. Their recipe was much simpler, did not require a special trip to the Asian market or a dent in my paycheck. These days I use fish sauce and sriracha more regularly so I already had them on hand. 

Of course, I'm happy to let this be inferior to what you'd get in a Vietnamese restaurant, but at least this doesn't leave me wanting, like the last time. It's among my favorite feel-good remedies when I'm suffering a cold of any kind, be it health or weather related, but for those times I don't want to go out, this will be a nice alternative.

Stay home and treat yo'self in a matter of minutes (this recipe goes really quick).

It's not much to look at in the dark evening light, but it really does the trick.

Vietnamese Pho with Beef
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's The Best Simple Recipes

8 c. chicken broth
1 2-in. piece of ginger, peeled, halved length-wise, and smashed with a meat pounder
3 2.5-in. strips of lime zest
1/2 tsp. five-spice powder
8 oz. rice noodles
1 lb. sirloin steak tips (or tri-tip works OK, too), trimmed and sliced thin
3 T. fish sauce
1 tsp. Asian chili-garlic sauce
4 scallions, sliced thin
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves

For garnish, to taste
Mung bean sprouts
Lime wedges
Basil leaves, freshly torn
Sriracha

Bring broth, ginger, lime zest and five-spice powder to boil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add noodles and cook until nearly tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in beef and simmer until cooked through and noodles have finished cooking, about 2 minutes.

Off heat, remove the lime zest and ginger with a slotted spoon or tongs. Stir in the chili-garlic sauce and fish sauce, followed by the scallions and cilantro. Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired. May need a little salt, depending on the broth.