I think a major drawback to some people making this at home is the fact that the broth for this dish should take a minimum of 4-6 hours to make. Most people I’ve seen make it, take 8-10 hours. Thank goodness for American consumerism! Now, you can buy Bone Broth or Pho Broth prepackaged for about 3 dollars a carton. Is it as good as slow cooked broth? No, totally not and not even. However; it is a really good product, and great if you just want to make pho at home and don’t have the time to make an 8 hour stock. The one I bought is labeled “simply asia vietnamese inspired pho beef broth.” I can safely say that, as far as store bought broth goes, this is hands down the best I’ve tried for making this soup. It has fish sauce and other ingredients in it, that would make it a bad option for some other cuisines; but, perfect for this. When I put the stock on the stove I added some hoisin, garlic, leek and soy sauce to it; just to enhance the flavor that was already there’s
For the steak part, I used top sirloin. I found some inexpensive thin cut pieces. I marinated them in minced garlic, fresh ginger, salt, pepper, Thai chili, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar. The great thing about this dish, is that any cut of steak you want to use works, from cheap cut to expensive Cut. Just keep in mind, that you don’t want to cook it all the way through and you want to slice it thin. Once it’s in the bowl and you add the piping hot broth, the broth will cook it through. That said, I do cook mine to a mid rare or medium, just to lock in the juices and add a bit of texture.
For the noodle part, I use regular ramen noodles without the seasoning packet. I just cook the noodles in water, then drain them and rinse them with cool water to both stop the cooking process; and, wash off the excess starch. I don’t want them gummy at all. I want them to hold their structure. Most importantly I do not use the seasoning packets with the store bought ramen. I thought the packets were terrible from a sodium standpoint, and the flavor would completely clash with the broth. Additionally, you can get some fresh noodles from an international market, which may be a better option for this dish, but I have no complaints with the dry ramen for this dish.
For the rest of the toppings: the world is your oyster. I used, baby bella mushrooms, leeks, green onion, carrot, red cabbage and bean sprouts. I’ve also seen people use bok choy, pickled cabbage and corn. Anything you would like think works with this. Think of it as an Asian beef and vegetable soup.
When I serve this I place the noodles and steak in a bowl, then cover it in hot stock and some green onion. I place the toppings on a plate in the middle of the table and let the diner put whatever toppings they want in the soup.
To make the dish; is rather simple. I had all of toppings prepped from night before, all I had to do was cook the steak first, then while it was resting cooked the noodles and broth. After that it was just a matter of rinsing the noodles and assembling the bowls. All totaled after prep time this can be cooked in under ten minutes making it an ideal delicious weeknight meal.