One of the only things I miss about living in a big city is the diversity of food at your fingertips, particularly great Asian food! Luckily, this delicious Vietnamese noodle soup, pho (pronounced fuh) is so easy to make! Made even easier if you buy a ready-made bone broth. And yes, you can cheat even more if it's a last minute meal you want to prepare but don't have any bone broth on hand, by using some Gevity Bone Broth Concentrate or Nutra Organics bone broth powder. I decided to make this batch using Fat of the Land's Venison Bone Broth, it's made from wild caught venison bones from our local sustainable & ethical heroes Fair Game Wild Venison.

I happened to pick up some frozen kangaroo loin fillet at the Lismore Organic Market which I thought would be a great substitute for the beef sirloin, because let's face it, we're all trying to eat more sustainably these days and I just love the flavour of kangaroo, but it does need to be cooked right or it can become tough. This was an experiment to shave into thin slices and let the hot broth cook it through and I can confidently report that it worked a treat. Even the kids loved it! And finally, I highly recommend having a go at making the hoisin sauce. I had always previously purchased this and struggled with all the artificial and/or refined ingredients, so I finally thought, I'm going to make my own wholesome version and guess what? It tastes amazing. Just like it's supposed to! And again, as long as you have the ingredients on hand, it takes no more than 5 minutes to whisk together.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 L bone broth
• few pods star anise
• few cloves
• cinnamon stick
• 1 tsp coriander seeds
• ½ tsp fennel seeds
• knob of ginger sliced
• 1 onion sliced
• ¼ cup fish sauce

Throw all of the above into a pot and bring to simmer. Simmer for min of 30min to really let the spice flavours infuse the broth.

Soak 250g flat rice noodles in cold water for 10 minutes, followed by boiling water for 5 minutes. When soft, drain and rinse in cool water.

Slice 250g frozen roo/beef fillet or sirloin into thin slices, cutting against the grain - I use a mandolin for this. The key to slicing the meat as thinly as required for pho is slicing it while it’s frozen!

Prepare veggies and herbs of your liking. I love adding bean sprouts, oyster mushrooms, any Chinese greens I have on hand, coriander, mint, Thai basil.

Place bean sprouts, noodles and veggies into individual bowls and top with the simmering broth being careful to avoid scooping spices from the pot. Add meat & herbs or let your diners add their own. Serve with hoisin and fermented chilli sauce and a wedge of lemon or lime.

Mix, slurp and feel the goodness. 

Tips: Double the broth recipe and make enough for a few meals. The flavour develops with each day. Change up the veggies & herbs to keep it interesting.

Make the broth vegan by using a veg broth and using fysh sauce.