How to Prepare
Aromatic broth, hearty cuts of tender beef, snappy noodles, and head-clearing spice — spicy beef noodles are a sure-fire meal for filling you up with rich Vietnamese flavors and simple ingredients.
Unlike with pho, the beef should be cooked ahead of time and it’s best to substitute pho rice noodles for round rice noodles, a wider, heavier noodle that will hold up to the heat of the chili oil and the complexity of the broth.
When shopping for ingredients, your local Asian market should have everything listed below. If you don’t have access to a quality market, you can still prepare the recipe using alternative ingredients from your local grocery store; for example, substituting standard sweet basil for Thai basil will work just fine.
For A Large Bowl
Ingredients:
- Essence of Lotus Spicy Beef soup base — 1 packet
- Round Rice Noodles, Dry — 16oz Package
- Brisket — 5oz
- Bean Sprouts — ½ cup
- White or Red Onion — ¼ to ½ cup, sliced thin
- Green Onion — ¼ to ½ cup, diced
- Thai Basil — to taste
- Cilantro — ¼ cup, rough chopped
- Vietnamese Chili Oil — to taste, sliced thin
- Purchase pre-made or make your own
- Red or Green Hot Pepper — to taste, sliced thin
- Jalapeno or Anaheim Peppers work best
- Lime — wedged and squeezed
To Prepare:
Slice, dice, and chop vegetables and toppings. Set aside.
Bring 1 quart of water to a boil. Add brisket and boil for about 1 hour, lid off. Remove cooked brisket, allow to cool and slice. Set aside.
Bring a fresh quart of water to a boil. Add the round rice noodles to boiling water and cook as directed on package. Remove noodles and rinse with cold water to prevent over-cooking. Discard cooking water when done.
For a single serving, bring 2-3 cups of water to a boil — 2 cups for a richer, more flavorful broth, 3 cups for a lighter, more delicate broth. Add 1 tablespoon of Essence of Lotus Spicy Beef soup base per cup of water. Stir until the base is fully mixed and then remove from heat.
Build your bowl by adding cooked noodles and brisket slices. Add toppings like sliced onion, bean sprouts, green onion, peppers, cilantro, and basil.
Top with chili oil to taste and add some lime.
Dig in