Vietnamese Pho (like our favorite restaurant Saigon)

The star is a really good beef stock/broth. See recipe on blog to make your own, or buy a good one.

You also need really good beef that is raw and sliced very thin like potato chips. A very sharp knife and very cold/frozen beef work best for this since most people don't have a meat slicer. But you could ask the store butcher to slice it thin for you. 

Simmer the broth with some: 

quartered onions

celery

bit of fresh ginger

lots of garlic 

for at least an hour. Once the broth is flavored you may remove these with a slotted spoon. About 15 minutes before serving add in some: 

thinly shredded carrot

thinly sliced scallions

1/3 cup lime juice

1/3 cup fish sauce (or soy sauce). 

1 Tbsp sugar (or more to taste up to 1/3 cup)

Soften some rice vermicelli in boiling water for 10 minutes. The almost transparent, brittle noodles will turn white, soft, and slippery. Drain water, and place rice vermicelli in serving bowls. Place a few beef slices on top of noodles and ladle HOT soup over to cover. The meat should be so thin that it cooks quickly. It's okay if there's a tiny bit of pink. 

Serve soup with these on the side to be added as desired: 

bean sprouts

cilantro

Thai basil

jalapenos

limes. 

(I didn't have Thai basil sadly, or bean sprouts. It's hard to find that stuff)

*Pho goes great with spring rolls on the side!