There are plenty of free recipes on the internet to help us navigate dinner time. What I want to talk about is replicating a particular restaurant dish at home. We all have a favorite meal we would love to know how to make—that seemingly complex dish that we are certain will be too expensive and too time consuming to pull off. (And that doesn’t even factor in the technique involved.) For more information, think of your last home-cooked Chinese food dish. Forgive yourself now, you did not have the BTUs.
For me, it’s pho. That blessed Vietnamese soup that warms us from top to bottom and leaves us completely satiated. The broth is layered, the noodles are toothsome, and the plentiful veggies and protein provides the perfect combination of textures.
Making pho is remarkably easy and cheap—as long as you don’t make the broth. I know, just-this-once please throw out my home cooking admonitions.
Here is a total cost breakdown of what it take to make pho for 4-6 people:
Broth $8
Thai Basil (free…if you ask)
Noodles $2
White onion .50
A medium jalapeño .50
Scallions .99
Bean sprouts $2
Shaved Kobe Beef* $15
TOTAL: $28.99 or $4.83 to $7.24 per person
*Available at any Asian Market.
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Phogedaboutit Pho
Serves: 4-6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Purchased Ingredients:
2 Quarts Pho Broth
(They will throw in free Thai Basil)
Ingredients:
6 oz Kobe beef
1 package of bean sprouts
1 Jalapeño
1 Small white onions
Bunch of Scallions (green parts only)
Large Package of Pho Noodles
Hoisin sauce to taste*
Sriracha to taste*
Oil for sautéing
Directions:
(Turn on oven to 200 degrees and put in your soup bowls to warm.)
Slowly warm broth in pot until it comes to a low boil.
Cook pho noodles by completely covering in boiling water.
Take them out when they are al dente and put in serving bowl.
Thaw beef on a serving platter.
Chop all veggies. Serve basil whole. Use a mandolin if you have it for the jalapeños and white onion. Arrange on serving platter.
Warm scallions in pan with oil salt and pepper. Set aside.
Put hoisin and sriracha in small serving bowls.
Remove warm bowls from oven and begin assembling your soup.
*Pantry staples