Chicken Banh Mi

When I saw this recipe in Sunset magazine, I knew I had to make it!  Anything involving chinese five-spice is always good in my opinion.  Plus adding on all the condiments - there's no way it could be bad.

This is a super easy meal to make! But when the recipe says to matchstick cut your veggies, don't do that unless you feel ambitious and not very hungry yet - it's not necessary. Just cut, grate or slice them in whatever manner sounds easy and appetizing to you. Also, I used chicken tenders instead of full breasts which made the cooking time even faster. And I also subbed out the mayonnaise on the bread for Sriracha. Yummy in the tummy!

Pho!

Oh my goodness this is my new favorite soup to make. SO fragrant and fresh and really easy. Any time I get to cook with whole cloves, star anise, peppercorns and cinnamon stick, my little tail starts wagging... And anything that's served with loads of fresh herbs and lime and Sriracha in a build-it-yourself type fashion really makes me happy. I've always loved ordering Pho when at a Vietnamese restaurant, and now I'm super psyched to add this quick and simple version, adapted from a Williams-Sonoma recipe, to the repertoire.. Enjoy!

VIETNAMESE BEEF AND NOODLE SOUP

Makes 4 servings

7 oz rice stick noodles
8 cups beef stock
5 whole cloves
4 thin slices fresh ginger
3 star anise pods
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 yellow onion, sliced
S&P
1/4 cup peanut or canola oil
8 shallots, sliced
1/2 lb eye of round beef, very thinly sliced by the butcher, cut into 2-inch pieces
leaves of 1 bunch fresh cilantro
leaves of 1 bunch fresh mint
leaves of 1 bunch fresh basil (preferably Thai - I had regular)
1 cup bean sprouts
2 small red Thai chiles, seeded and thinly sliced (I had a green one)
1 lime, quartered
hot sauce for serving, such as Sriracha

In a soup pot, combine the stock, cloves, ginger, star anise, cinnamon, peppercorns, onion, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the broth is fragrant, about 10 minutes. Strain the soup into a large bowl through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the spices. Return the stock to the pot, and set aside.

In the meantime, boil water for your noodles. While the stock is simmering and the noodles are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallot slices and fry, turning with tongs, until evenly browned on both sides, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

Have large, deep soup bowls ready. Reheat the seasoned beef broth over high heat. Drain the noodles and place in soup bowls. Divide the beef slices among the bowls, then ladle over the boiling broth (the hot broth will cook the thin beef slices). Serve with abundant fresh cilantro, mint, and basil, as well as the bean sprouts, chiles, fried shallots, lime wedges and hot sauce.