Random Acts of Kindness

By: 
Keith Bryant
 On a normal Wednesday you get an early morning text and you know it is a link of some sort and behind that is another line that says “please.” So, you wonder what they are asking for?  I opened the link from Jenny and saw it was a recipe for a keto friendly Pho. What the hell is Pho?   
 Well if you are into Pacific Asian food you know that this is a dish from Vietnam which involves a wonderful broth and many other side ingredients.
 Pho is a popular street food in Vietnam and the specialty of several restaurant chains around the world. Pho originated in the early 20th century in northern Vietnam and was popularized throughout the rest of the world by refugees after the Vietnam War.   
 Normally this dish includes some type of rice noodles, a few different herbs, a hearty stock, and some type of meat. On the streets of Vietnam, Pho was originally sold at dawn and dusk by roaming street vendors, who shouldered mobile kitchens on carrying poles (gánh phở). From the pole hung two wooden cabinets, one housing a cauldron over a wood fire, the other storing noodles, spices, cookware, and space to prepare a bowl of pho. The heavy gánh (pole) was always shouldered by men.
 Having never made it before, I looked at the recipe and the noodles for that particular recipe was a shirataki noodle (found on Amazon), which is made from the konjac plant in Japan. I didn’t really want to order these, so I went to the local grocery and found regular rice noodles.  
 The biggest part of the recipe is the broth. It calls for roasting beef bones and cooking them for many hours.  I knew I could cut that time down drastically, so I contacted my friend Nicole, who has an instapot, and was done with the broth in three hours. Once you taste this dish you will understand why the broth is so important. Found this recipe on “Allrecipes.”
Pho
Ingredients
4 pounds beef soup bones
1 onion, unpeeled and cut in half
5 slices fresh ginger
1 tablespoon salt
2 pods star anise
2½ tablespoons fish sauce
4 quarts water
1 (8 ounce) package dried rice noodles
1½ pounds beef top sirloin thinly sliced
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon chopped green onion
1½ cups bean sprouts
1 bunch Thai basil
1 lime cut into 4 wedges
¼ cup hoisin sauce (optional)
¼ cup chili-garlic sauce (such as Sriracha (optional)
Directions
 Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
 Place beef bones on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until browned, about 1 hour.
 Place onion on a baking sheet and roast in the preheated oven until blackened and soft, about 45 minutes.
 Place bones, onion, ginger, salt, star anise, and fish sauce in a large stockpot and cover with 4 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for 6 to 10 hours. Strain the broth into a saucepan and set aside.
 Place rice noodles in large bowl filled with room temperature water and allow to soak for 1 hour. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and after the noodles have soaked, place them in the boiling water for 1 minute. Bring stock to a simmer.
 Divide noodles among 4 serving bowls; top with sirloin, cilantro, and green onion. Pour hot broth over the top. Stir and let sit until the beef is partially cooked and no longer pink, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve with bean sprouts, Thai basil, lime wedges, hoisin sauce, and chili-garlic sauce on the side.

 

Signal American

18 E. Idaho St.
Weiser, ID 83672
PH: (208) 549-1717
FAX: (208) 549-1718
 

Connect with Us