Jessica’s (Not Quite!) Ghetto Pho

Jessica Cargill has for years taunted me with her recipe for “ghetto 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. This is how we made it yesterday while Jessica was visiting with the winsome, resilient Mr. Rollo.

• 2 quarts beef stock
• 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 oz. lemongrass paste. You can find this commercially (about half a tube), or if you have access to a good Asian market, you can cut up your own.
• One medium onion, sliced
• 1 lb. rice noodles
• About half a head of cilantro, with leaves stripped from stems
• 1 lb. or one 14 oz. can bean sprouts
• 2 oz. fresh basil, chopped (about a cup finished)
• 3 scallions, sliced
• 2-3 limes, juiced (about 1/4c.)
• 1 lb. beef sliced lengthways in 1”-2” x 1/2” strips . We used a T-bone steak I had in the freezer, which probably came out to a bit more than a pound.
• 1 lb. shrimp. Frozen, shelled, precooked works fine.
• White pepper (to taste)
• Salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. star anise

Put the beef and chicken stocks in a stock pot along with the onions, cilantro, basil, lemongrass paste, lime juice, salt, and white and red peppers. Add the beef and shrimp, and allow to cook for about 45 minutes to an hour. While the main soup is cooking, prepare the noodles separately starting around 30 minutes into the process. (Ours took 6 minutes to cook per the directions). Drain and rinse, and add back to the soup. Serves about six.