To Pho or not to Pho..

I am not really the sort of person who enjoys small talk and in particular, small talk about the weather. However, having moved from the Southern Hemisphere to the Northern Hemisphere, I find myself becoming conversant in English weather speak (kelsher: heavy rain, northern nanny: cold storm of hail and wind from the North of England, cat's nose: a cool northwest wind) and have adopted talking about the weather along with my English peers, as daily conversation. Weather here matters. Profoundly. Despite my best efforts to the contrary it affects me, my day, my plans and my mood. We're supposed to be enjoying a British summer at the moment and it has been pouring with rain with not a blue sky in sight. I guess I shouldn't really be surprised as it's the lead up to the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and it has been grey, wet and somewhat unpredictable around this time every year. Ba hum bug.

As I've always been an 'every cloud has a silver lining' kind of girl (well at least try to be), onwards and upwards I say and try to look for the positives. Luckily I don't really have to look far when I think of my favorite comfort food on a cold rainy day. Everyone has their own special comfort food, a particular dish that not only nourishes but has warm associations, transporting you wherever you are and whatever mood you're in to a happier place filled with happy memories. Everyone has 'that' dish. For me, nothing really beats a bowl of Pho (pronounced 'fur' for you whities) to warm my soul. And yes, of course my mum makes the best Pho (every Viet will swear their mum does).

So what is it? Well, it's essentially a beef noodle soup. Some say its name derives from the French 'pot au feu' (pot of fire), others surmise that it's from the Chinese 'fen' meaning rice noodles. Perhaps there may be a little truth in both given Vietnam has had a long history of foreign influences, particularly from the Chinese (the use of chopsticks, stir frying and soy sauce) and the French (butter, baguettes and coffee).

I'd really like to give you a recipe for Pho (so some of you can stop badgering me) but it's not quite that simple for a couple of reasons. Firstly, Pho is impossible to make in small quantities. Secondly, it really is a labour of love that is time consuming (the soup itself requires at least 3 hours cooking) and thirdly, it requires a range of ingredients and skilful tasting to achieve the delicate balance of flavours to bring the soup/broth together.  My mum cooks her Pho without a recipe (in fact, every Viet I know cooks without a recipe). Basically we are taught to think about our food, the ingredients that fit together, taste, taste, taste and wing the rest.

If you really need a Pho recipe I would suggest Mai Pham's (no relation to me) recipe from her US book 'New Flavours of the Vietnamese Table' or otherwise Rick Stein's from his book and BBC series 'Far Eastern Odyssey' (I know, I know he is not Viet but the recipe is very good with the exception that I would definitely cut out the celery from the broth). If online is more your thing then try www.leluu.com (Uyen is based in Hackney London and runs masterclasses for Pho, if you are really keen).  Otherwise the simplest and best way to get a bowl of Pho is to go out to a Pho restaurant.

So how and where to find a decent bowl of Pho? Rule of thumb is to find a busy restaurant as a busy restaurant usually means fresher ingredients and preferably one that serves it with the proper garnishes (bean sprouts, asian basil, saw-leaf herb (not always easy), wedge of lime/lemon and fresh chilli).

In London, there is a mini-chain called 'Pho' scattered around (http://www.phocafe.co.uk) which seems to be popular (though to be honest I've never been) otherwise one has to venture out to Kingsland Rd in Shoreditch where there are a few good places to choose from. Song Que is always busy and the food arrives fast and furious but the decor isn't great.  Mien Tay has better decor but when the place is heaving the kitchen struggles to keep up and patience really isn't my forte.  I don't get out to Shoreditch much (as I am time poor and unable to cope in traffic to get there from where I live without some form of road rage) but I do frequent Mien Tay in Battersea and haven't yet been disappointed. It's never going to live up to my mum's Pho but then again I didn't expect it to.

I've been out of Sydney now for 4 years so I've lost touch with the best Pho restaurants there. Perhaps my Sydney friends or other readers in their home countries can nominate their best Pho restaurants and we can compile a shortlist of where to eat Pho across the globe so I'll never have to go without no matter where I am in the world.

So my friends, I didn't really give you the recipe for Pho but I do have the recipe for shaking beef - Bo Luc Lac (pronounced 'look luck'). It's the Vietnamese answer to steak and is said to be inspired by the French. It's called shaking beef because you shake the beef (surprise surprise) in a pan over high heat. It's dead easy and a hit for husband and kids alike in my house.  This is my recipe:

Bo Luc Lac
Serves 4

• 2-3 garlic cloves chopped finely (use 3 if you like garlic)
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
• 400g of beef sirloin (beef fillet is better if you can afford it here in London!)

1. Combine garlic, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and vegetable oil in a large bowl to make the marinade.
2. Cut the beef into 1cm (1/2inch or thereabouts) cubes and add to the marinade. Toss evenly to ensure the meat is well coated. Set aside to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better).
3. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the beef and quickly stir-fry for about 3 minutes until just charred on the edges and just cooked (if you usually like your steak medium rare) or leave a little longer (if you usually like your steak medium to well done). Just before you take it off the heat, add a dollop of good old fashion butter (I'm a francophile and believe everything tastes better with butter! But seriously in this case it does).

Crack some pepper over the beef (optional) and serve with steamed rice.

Side salad (optional): A simple salad of tomatoes cut into wedges, iceberg lettuce (or another leaf not too strong in flavour as it will overpower the dish) and sliced boiled egg or two. Dress with a splash of balsamic vinegar and splash of olive oil. Nothing too fancy.

Wine accompaniment: Although beef, it is a delicate dish that deserves a delicate wine to match such as a pinot noir.

Good luck and enjoy! And let me know how you fare.

ps. If you are really keen on getting a Vietnamese cookbook, I highly recommend Luke Nguyen's 'The Songs of Sapa'. Luke is the chef of Red Lantern restaurant in Sydney and his book is the sort of book I wish I wrote. It's more a coffee table book than a true cookbook as such. It is large, heavy and filled with stunning photos, charming stories and authentic recipes from his travels throughout Vietnam.  I love it.

Song Que
http://songque.co.uk/

Mien Tay
http://www.mientay.co.uk/