Star Anise, a distinctive flavor in Vietnamese Beef Broth for Pho
Spring may be here but the cool temperatures in the mid-Atlantic parts still leave plenty of welcome for a hot bowl of soup.
Flavored Vietnamese beef broth which provides its base for the Pho soup is a distinctive one much enhanced through a single spice, Star Anise.
The traditional broth made using beef marrow or other types meaty beef bones can be similarly prepared at your home using ready-made broth or stock simmered with the designated spice, herb and vegetable ingredients.
There are two types of anise, one is a plant, an herb, grown popularly in the Mediterranean that also provides a similar licorice flavoring, but the spice, Star Anise, used in flavoring Beef Pho with the dark reddish-brown color and shape that resembles a star is a different species than the herb. The Star Anise spice is an evergreen shrub and it is grown natively in areas of Asia as China and Vietnam.
The Star Anise has two segments within it, the outside woody like coating called the husk supporting the pointed shapes that create the star, and the inside seeds within each point visible by turning the star over. Both parts, the husk and seed of this spice are edible and can be used whole as with the Beef Pho Broth, or ground, for a variety of uses such as the main ingredient in the Chinese 5 Spice Blend.
For some, the distinctive taste of the Star Anise is mysteriously disguised to them once combined with the other ingredients in the Beef Pho eaten from some places serving up really good Vietnamese Noodle Soups as the specialty.
While always fun to enjoy Pho at restaurants with friends, it is also very easy to prepare this similar broth for your family at home achieving a hot and delicious soup quickly by adding noodles, some sliced grilled beef and a variety of vegetables.
This winter, although officially now past has also assumed lingering colds and sniffles so broth-based soups such as this Beef Pho Style Broth may assist in comforting at least some of the symptoms that go along.
After straining your broth, you can ladle the steaming soup into individual bowls adding in the noodles, assorted vegetables, beef, and topping the soup with fresh cilantro leaves, and Thai basil with lime wedges and hot sauce served on the side.
In all, if you are looking for an easy but sustaining meal with distinctive flavor, or looking to cure what ails you, this colorful, steaming, fresh broth in the style of Vietnamese Beef Pho may just be a Star dish for you.
Star Anise, a distinctive flavor in Vietnamese Beef Broth for Pho
Ingredients
- For Preparing the Broth:
- 2 star anise
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 slices fresh ginger, peeled of skin, about 1/2 inch each
- 1 medium onion, cut in half
- 6 cups beef stock or broth
- 5 cups cold water
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- juice of half a lime
- For Marinating the Beef:
- 1- 1/2 pound London broil
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons Mirin (rice wine)
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 clove garlic, sliced thin
- 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
- 3 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced lengthwise
- Assembling the Soup:
- 1 package rice noodles, soaked in warm water before briefly cooking in boiling water, draining, rinsing
- 1 hot red pepper, seeded, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled, sliced lengthwise into thin strips then cut julienne
- 1/2 red sweet pepper, seeded, thinly sliced, then halved
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 4 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced lengthwise, then cut in half
- Toppings:
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- 1/4 cup fresh Thai basil, stacked, rolled, thinly sliced
- 1 lime, cut into eighth inch wedges
- Sriracha, hot chili sauce, served on the side
Instructions
- For the Beef:
- Into a long glass dish stir in the garlic, ginger, scallions and brown sugar then pour in the soy sauce, water, and the Mirin, stir well to dissolve sugar, set beef into the marinade turning over to coat well. Marinate meat for at least one hour, preferably overnight, remove meat from marinade and pat dry, let sit at room temperature for a half hour before grilling
- Preheat grill, grill meat on medium high heat for three to five minutes each side for medium rare, remove from heat, transfer to a platter and let rest for fifteen minutes, slice meat thinly on a diagonal against the grain
- Preparing the Broth: To a large stock pot add in the beef broth, water, star anise, cinnamon sticks, fresh ginger, and the onion halves. Bring mixture to a mild boil then turn down the heat and simmer for an hour and longer until the broth is reduced to about three quarters of the original liquid amount. Strain the soup into a large bowl or another pot then return broth back to its cooking pot, add in 3 tablespoons fish sauce and fresh lime juice, stir, increase heat temperature to medium, add in the carrots cook around five minutes, then add in the hot pepper, red pepper, mushrooms and spinach, cook another three minutes, stir in the scallions and begin assembling soup
- Assembling the Soup: Line the bottom of a bowl with hot cooked noodles then ladle over the hot broth with vegetables. Top soup with slices of beef, fresh cilantro leaves, and Thai basil strips. Serve lime wedges and Sriracha hot chili sauce on side
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