Beef Pho

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g dried mushrooms (shiitake, oyster mushrooms, enoki, etc.)
• 1 ½ liters beef bouillon
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• 5 cm ginger, fresh
• 1 small cinnamon stick(s)
• 3 star anise
• 12 cardamom pods, green
• 4 cloves
• ½ tsp sweetener
• Baking spray (fat-free cooking spray)
• 400 g beef steak(s)
• 250 g baby pak choi
• 5 cm cucumber(s)
• 6 spring onions
• 250 g glass noodles, wide Asian
• 2 tbsp fish sauce (Nam Pla)
• 1 handful of mint leaves
• 2 handfuls of coriander leaves
• 1 chili pepper(s), red, medium hot
• Lime(s) for garnish

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 5 minutes

Slimming World recipe

Soak dried mushrooms in a bowl of water for at least 30 minutes. Then place in a colander and drain well. Combine beef stock, crushed peppercorns, ginger, cinnamon stick, star anise, crushed cardamom, cloves, and sweetener in a large pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer on low heat for 15 minutes to allow the flavor to develop. Trim the fat from the beef. Thinly slice the steak. Trim the pak choi and quarter it lengthwise. Peel the cucumber, slice it lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds with a teaspoon. Then slice it into strips. Halve the spring onions and slice lengthwise into strips. Deseed the chili pepper and cut into short strips. Finely chop the mint and coriander. Meanwhile, heat a pan over high heat. Spray with cooking oil and add the beef. Brown, turning, and make sure the meat doesn’t dry out. Set aside. Cook the noodles according to the package instructions and rinse well. Divide between bowls. Strain the stock, add the fish sauce, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a boil, add the bok choy and mushrooms, and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the meat and pour the stock and vegetables over the noodles. Top with the spring onions, cucumber, mint, coriander, and chili, and serve with lime wedges.