main-meals

Beef Pho

November 07

In the heat of Summer or in the depth of winter this beef noodle soup is instant comfort. The use of toasted spices and charred onion and ginger will transform the broth into something rich and deep.

Serves 6
45 mins

Method

1. Add the star anise, cloves and coriander seeds to a dry hot frying pan over a high heat and toast until aromatic. Remove to a plate and set aside.
2. Place the onion and ginger on a grill tray and place under a hot grill to char on all sides. The onion should be soft and slightly caramalised.
3. Remove from the grill and add to a large pot with the toasted cloves, star anise and coriander seeds.
4. Add in the beef stock and bring to a steady simmer. Cover and continue to simmer for 30 minutes allowing time for the flavours to develop and the spices to infuse the broth. During the last 10 minutes cooking time stir through the fish sauce and continue to cook. Strain the broth through a sieve and then return to the boil.
5. Serve the noodles in deep bowls and top with the finely sliced meat. Ladle the hot liquid evenly over the top of the beef and noodles and then garnish with mint leaves, basil leaves, coriander leaves, bean sprouts, spring onion and a wedge of lime.

For the broth:

1 large onion, sliced in half

1 large thumb sized piece ginger, sliced in half

4 cloves

2 star anise

2 tbsp coriander seeds

1.5 litre good quality beef stock

3 tbsp fish sauce

To serve:

400g best quality sirloin steak, fat removed and very thinly sliced

250g flat rice noodles, cooked

3 spring onions, finely sliced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 limes, cut in quarters

A small handful of mint

A small handful of basil

A small handful of coriander

A good handful of bean sprouts

You'll Need

Frying pan

Grill tray

Large pot

If you liked this

This is a variation on the classic Thai dish, Beef Laab, a spicy ground beef salad from the North East of Thailand normally served with steamed sticky rice. Here I’ve used the spicy ground beef mixture as the main element of a fresh tasting noodle salad. This dish can be topped with toasted sesame seeds, chopped toasted peanuts or ground toasted sticky rice.

light-meals
→

Asian Pork Lettuce Cups

May 02

I want to introduce you to what is easily one of my favourite little dinner-party treats. This dish tastes amazing and I hope it will become one of your staple entertaining recipes. The meat mix is full of really light and aromatic flavours and is served in baby gem lettuce leaves, making it perfect finger food. Vegetarian option: use Quorn mince which works quite well here.

main-meals
→

Chinese Five-spice Pork Belly with Chilli Noodles and Asian Greens

October 23

Crispy crackling and tender pork belly meat paired with Chinese five-spice powder – a match made in heaven. For just the tiniest amount of work in the kitchen, using an inexpensive piece of meat, you get the most amazing results, which will feed a crowd. There are many different things you can do with pork belly as it’s quite versatile, but I like the simplicity of this method; it’s a nod to Asia, where this is an incredibly popular cut of meat.

main-meals