Beef Pho for One

As a bachelor who is constantly on the go it's rare for me to have company over to justify cooking anything too extravagant. A lot of times I'll elect to whip up something really quick and easy, without sacrificing the pure enjoyment of dining on something truly enjoyable. And this dish just happens to be one of my go-to meals for dining at home.

3 C Beef Broth (something light)

1 tsp Onion Powder

1 tsp Anise Seed

1/2 tsp Minced Garlic

1/2 tsp Ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Fennel Seed

1/2 tsp Cloves

1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Soy Sauce

2 tsp Fish Sauce

1/2 Lb Thinly sliced Sirloin Steak, cut to bite-sized pieces

4 Oz Rice Noodles

1 Chili Pepper, finely chopped

1 C Fresh Cilantro, chopped

1 C Alfalfa Sprouts

2 T Fresh Chives, chopped

1/2 Lime, wedged

In a medium sauce pan, bring beef broth to a medium simmer. Add onion powder, garlic, ginger, anise, cinnamon, fennel, cloves and red pepper flakes. Make sure the broth isn't boiling, but has a light simmer going. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Prepare rice noodles by instructions on package, usually just soaking in hot water for 10 minutes does the trick. Drain Noodles.

Remove the broth from heat and strain broth into a medium bowl, taking care to only reserve the liquid and not the spices. I like to use a coffee filter and metal mesh strainer for this. Clean sauce pan and return liquid to pan. Add soy sauce and fish sauce to the pan and bring to a boil.

Using a pretty large serving bowl, add noodles and sliced sirloin on top. Pour broth over meat to cook it. Add cilantro, sprouts and chives, and squeeze a couple lime wedges over your bowl to finish.