Ingredients
Pulled Pork
1 large onion sliced
1 bag of coleslaw mix, or half a head of cabbage sliced thinly
If using the cabbage, add 2 large shredded carrots
3 stalks of Celery Diced
1 small bag of bean sprouts
1 large bunch of fresh basil
1 bunch of Cilantro
2 dashes of Worcestershire
2 dashes of soy sauce
2 ramen noodle packets (or I used Organic Rice Ramen noodles like you find at Costco)
2 boxes of beef stock or Chicken stock if you prefer
3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp of chopped ginger
1 small lime (cut into wedges)
1 small jalapeno sliced
Directions:
Make the soup stock first by adding the beef or chicken stock, garlic cloves, ginger, Worcestershire, a lime wedge (reserve the rest), the ramen flavor packets and soy sauce into a soup pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
Add the ramen noodles to the stock and cook as long as directed on the packet. Then remove the noodles and set aside. You can boil the noodles separately if you wish, but I like to throw them in so they absorb the flavor of the broth.
Remove the garlic cloves from the broth.
Now is when you get to customize!
Place some noodles in the bottom of the bowl and add pulled pork, onion, cabbage (coleslaw), celery, sprouts, cilantro and basil with a lime wedge and some sliced jalapeno.
Ladle your broth into the bowl over the top of the noodles, meat and veggies.
Serve hot with siracha, fish sauce, chili oil, soy sauce or any other condiments you like.
Variations – you can easily use your own homemade stock or favorite store-bought variety. I also have been known to add fresh zucchini, squash, parsnips, or other garden veggies when we have them. You can also sub out the pulled pork for steak or chicken. Just make sure to give the steak a quick grill for some nice char flavor, then slice thinly. If using chicken, cook it fully, then add at the end.
The Story:
Paul and I used to go to lunch together at work and we often stopped in at a local Pho restaurant in Everett. They had the most delicious soups and honestly the small bowl was larger than my head. I never could eat it all. The simple veggie and meat combinations with the absolutely wonderful broth was amazingly filling and I really wanted to try making it at home. However, there was a problem. The actual stock for true Pho is very complex. It simply wasn’t something I was going to have time to do, and I didn’t really have the motivation to figure it out. There are some things best left to the experts. But, I could come up with an easy and simple replacement. While it certainly isn’t as perfect as the Pho we had for our lunches at a true Vietnamese restaurant, it was a more than adequate replacement. It’s pretty darn good and with all the veggies, I’m going to say it’s pretty healthy too.