Jessica's Shortcut Pho

My friend Jessica has for years taunted me with her recipe for 'shortcut pho,' so called because of her love for cheap ingredients. A proper pho takes days to make, mostly because of the traditional French approach to making beef stock.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
• Calories: 493 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• salt to taste
• 1 quart chicken stock
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 quarts beef stock
• ½ teaspoon garam masala
• 1 pound dried rice noodles
• ¼ cup lime juice
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1 pinch ground white pepper, or to taste
• ½ bunch cilantro, stems discarded
• 2 ounces lemongrass paste
• 1 pound T-bone steak, sliced lengthwise into 1 1/2-inch strips
• 1 pound shelled shrimp
• 1 pound bean sprouts, or to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Combine beef stock, chicken stock, lime juice, onion, cilantro, basil, lemongrass paste, red pepper flakes, cumin, garam masala, ginger, and white pepper in a stockpot. Add steak and shrimp; simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Step 2

While soup is cooking, prepare noodles about 30 minutes into the process. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and add noodles. Boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 6 minutes. Drain, rinse, and add to the soup. Stir in bean sprouts and season with salt.