Vietnamese Beef Broth (Phở Bò)

After my visit  to Pho Restaurant in Brighton, I have of course been inspired to write a recipe. If you would like to try making this delicious, nourishing and healthy Soup at home, here is my do’able version:

Ingredients:

(for the Beef Broth)

3 kg Beef Bones 

1 slice of Beef Brisket (stewing steak)

1 Onion, halved

1 Carrot, sliced

1 large Piece of Ginger, sliced

5 cloves

1 tsp Peppercorns

1 tsp Fennel Seeds

2 Cassia Bark Sticks

2 Star Anise

3 Black cardamon Pods

3 tbs Fish sauce

1 tbs Sea Salt

a piece of Rock Sugar

a bunch of Coriander Stalks

Place the Bones and Stewing Steak into a Stock Pot and cover with cold Water. 

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat to low.

A lot of foam and scum will rise to the top at it comes to a simmer. 

Lovingly remove this with a spoon. 

That done add the spices and seasonings.

Simmer on a very low heat, without a lid for a minimum of 3 hours. (the longer the better) During this time keep skimming of any rising foam and the fat.

Do not stir the Broth to much, to keep it nice and clear.

After about 1 1/2 hour take out the Beef Brisket (Stewing Steak) and leave to cool. 

Ingredients for the Bowl:
Flat Rice Noodles, soaked in hot water for 10 minutes then rinsed.
Spring Onions, cut into rings
Red Chilli slithers
Coriander Leaves
Thai Basil Leaves
Vietnamese Mint Leaves
The Beef Brisket, sliced
Filet Steak, sliced very thinly
Ox Tripe, thinly sliced (optional)
Bean Sprouts
Feshly ground Black Pepper 

Arrange the Noodles,  Beef Brisket,  Steak slices and the ingredients that you like in your Bowl, ready for the steaming hot Broth to be ladled over. Add in or leave out all that is to your personal taste. 

This is the beauty if the Pho, you make it your own, just the way you want it. 
Strain the Beef Broth through a sieve lined with wet muslin.
Return to a bubbling boil and check the seasoning one last time
Add a little Fish Sauce if needed.

Finally ladle the boiling Broth into your Bowls and serve with a Lime Wedge, some chilli slithers and some more of the herbs on the side. These can be added to taste at the table.
Enjoy! 

Peri Peri Chicken Livers

Yesterday after our trip to Brighton Pier, my friend and I went to Nando’s for dinner. Now you may laugh, but I had never been to Nando’s before.
Here, of all places, I discovered this tasty little number. Peri Peri Chicken Livers.
I like to promote healthy cooking and eating, so this is my full of good things, high in flavour and none of the ‘bad’ stuff recipe.

Ingredients:
(serves 4)

400g Chicken Livers, trimmed and cut into bite size pieces
1 red Pepper, sliced into strips
1 Onion, sliced
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
2 Birds Eye Chillies, sliced lengthways
1 Bayleaf
1/2 tsp Mexican Oregano
1 tsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Smoked Paprika
1 tbs Peri Peri Sauce
50ml Port Wine
100ml Chicken Stock
1 tsp plain Flour, mixed with a little water to a slurry
Salt and Pepper

Start by gently frying the Onion and Pepper with help of a few cooking sprays in a heavy pan. Add the Chillies and Garlic and continue to fry on a medium heat until everything is softening.
Next add the Chicken Livers and season with Salt, Pepper, Oregano and drop in the Bayleaf.
Fry until the Livers are starting to turn opaque.
Pour in the Port to deglaze any bits catching on the bottom. Add the Chicken Stock, Flour Slurry and Peri Peri Sauce, bring back to a simmer, then cover with a lid and leave to cook on a low heat for a few minutes. Chicken Livers don’t take very long at all to cook and they benefit from being slightly under rather then overcooked. So turn the heat off just before you think they are done and they will take their last bit of cooking from the heat in the pan.

Traditionally this dish is served as a starter with a nice bread or as a main course with Rice. Today I served mine with a Garlicy Root Vegetable Mash and some Blanched Savoy Cabbage.

Minced Beef Dry Thai Curry

This pungent Curry was inspired by my visit to Thai Wok Restaurant in Male. Of coure this isn’t the same recipe as they use,  it is my recreation using healthy ingredients. I’ve had something similar many years ago in my Backpacking days, when I was working in a Thai Restaurant in Koh Samui and was eating there with the Family every day. It’s fiery hot and fragrant, perfectly balanced salty, sweet, spicy and sour from the Lime squeezed over at the table. As I was cooking it it reminded me of it’s mexican cousin, the Chilli Con Carne. It must be a great combo – Chilli and Minced Beef!

Ingredients:
250g Extra Lean Minced Beef
100g Green Beans, cut into little rounds
6 Kaffir Lime Leafes, sliced into very thinstrips, like little needles (keep some for garnish)
2 Lemongrass Stalks, dry outer leaf discared, then chopped  finely
1 tbs  Red Thai Curry Paste
4-10 birds eye Chillies, sliced into small rounds
1/2 tsp Palm Sugar
Vegetable Oil
Lime to serve

Fry the Beef in a little Vegetable Oil until no longer red. Then add the Beans, Curry Paste, Lime Leaf and Lemongrass. Stir this around for a couple of minutes until the Curry Paste becomes fragrant, then add a glug of water and cover with a lid. Cook for a few more minutes, until the beans are just cooked.

I’m having a friend round for dinner tonight, so I am also making a Thai Green Curry, Sticky Rice, a Som Tam Salad and Stir Fried Spinach with Garlic. Can’t wait!

Green Tomatillo Salsa

I used to think the green Salsa you see everywhere in Mexico was made with green (unripe) Tomatoes, but then I found these…
Tomatillos!
Here is my recipe for a very very delicious version of the traditional Green Salsa.

Ingredients:

12 Tomatillos, husk removed, washed and quartered
1 Lime, juiced
1 Garlic Clove, chopped
1/2 Onion, roughly chopped
1/2 Avocado, flesh scooped out
1 Serrano Chilli, sliced
1 tsp chopped Coriander
a large pinch of Sea Salt

Mix the Ingredients in a food processor to the desired consistency.
Add a drop of Water if you like a thinner salsa.

Dip your Tortilla chips into it, use as a sauce for meats or fish, on Tacos, over Omelette…. ect. 🙂
…ridiculously delish!

Corned Beef Hash

Had a flimsy Breakfast?
Have a hearty Brunch!!

Ingredients:
Serves 2

2 Large Potatoes, peeled and diced
340g Corned Beef
1 Onion, diced
a handful of chopped Parsley

Fry the diced Potatoes in a little Vegetable Oil, tossing them frequently.
After a few minutes add the Onion and keep frying moderately until everything is lightly coloured.
Cover with a lid and turn the heat down. Leave to cook for about 7 minutes until the Potatoes are cooked through.
Stir in the Corned Beef and Parsley and heat thoroughly.
Season with Pepper and a little Salt if needed (the Corned Beef can be quite salty.
Serve with a fried Egg on top and a little Salad Garnish.
Yum, I’m going back for seconds

Banana Flower Boat Salad

Sometimes I like to buy things that I have never cooked with and may not even know what they are. This was one of those occasions. After I bought this flower bud in the Fruit and Veg Market in Male, (Maldives), I put a picture of it on a cooking related facebook group What Sha Cooking? and ask for help.
Once I learned what this flower is, it was easy to create a recipe for it, and I am pretty happy with the Result, as well as the fact that another cooking mystery has been solved.

Ingredients:
1 Banana Flower
1 small red Onion, sliced thinly
1 handful Basil Leaves
1 handful Mint Leaves

Dressing:
3 Birds Eye Chillies
1 tbs Rice Vinegar
1 tbs Fish Sauce
1 tsp Palm Sugar

Marinate:
1 Sirloin Steak into cubes 
2 tsp Soy Sauce
1 tsp Fish Sauce
1 tsp Honey
1 tsp Ground Pepper
1 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce
1 tsp Umami Paste (found in the speciality food aisle)
1 Garlic Clove, minced

Prepare the Banana Flower by pulling off the outer leafes and reserving them to use as ‘Boats’.
Into a large bowl add the juice of 1 Lemon and 1 tsp Sea Salt. This will help prevent the Banana Flower from oxydising (going black)
Peel back layer by layer and discard the stamens (the baby bananas) under each leaf.

Shred the Banana Flower Petals finely and drop them into the Lemon Water. Leave to steep for 10 minutes.
Then drain and combine with the Onions and the dressing. Just before serving mix in the Basil and Mint leaves.

Drain the marinade off the Beef and reserve. Stir fry the Beef in a searingly hot Wok for a couple of minutes to leave them medium rare in the middle.
Add the reserved marinade and toss it together with the Beef.
Rest them in a bowl for a few minutes.

Place the Salad into the ‘Boats’ and nestle a couple of pieces of Beef on top of each one.
This will make a fabulous Appetiser for a dinner Party, but I’m enjoying them just as much right here right now and I am very pleased with my new discovery .