Faux Pho - Affare with Vietnam

I work about 40 minutes from the house in an interest part of Durham.  There are not too many places around the office that one would want to frequently visit for lunch, so thankfully we have a cafeteria.  After 6 years of working in the same office and eating lunch in the same cafe, you need to get out every once in a while.  

Around the office there are plenty of small taquerias but you can only eat so many tacos and keep a girlish figure.  One day some colleagues came back from a lunch outing raving about the yellow building a few blocks away, Miss Saigon.  The first thing that popped in my head was, REALLY?! you ate THERE!  Much to my surprise, they did not serve $0.99 prime rib but rather authentic Vietnamese cuisine.  The first time I took the Vietnamese adventure a #24was ordred...Shrimp Noodle Salad...delish!  Rất ngon!  From there I ventured into Pho, lettuce wraps,#19, #20 and #21 are favs as well.  I enjoy tMiss Saigon's food (although I think he is a mister) so much that I had to replicate.  I started with a blend of Pho and a Rice Noodle Bowl.  Enjoy.  Ăn ngon nhé!  

Faux Pho Noddle Bowl

Shrimp – peeled, deveined

Stir Fry Beef, Thinly Sliced Flank Steak

Beef Broth

Beef Stock

Fish Sauce

Sirracha Sauce ;)

Basil

Cilantro

Fresh Bean Sprouts

Jalapenos

Crushed Red Pepper

Cinnamon

Garlic Clove

Onions

Bay Leaf

Rice Noodles

To make the broth:

1 – 32 oz. container of beef stock

1 – 32 oz container of beef broth

Simmer with two crushed whole garlic cloves, two bays leaves and half a sliced white onion.  Add a dash of cinnamon, a few dashed of ground ginger.  Cook on simmer about 1-2 hours.

Strain to remove onions, bay leaves, garlics cloves and place broth back into pot and bring back to simmer.  You want the broth REALLY REALLY HOT!

In large pot bring water to a boil, remove from heat and soak your rice noodles about 10 minutes until soft.  Strain and rinse with cold water. 

In a separate skillet with a little bit of olive oil, cook your beef tips until rare, remove and cook your shrimp 3-4 minutes. 

Layer noodles in bottom of a large bowl, top with shrimp, beef, bean sprouts and cover with simmering hot broth.  Garnish with cilantro, basil, sirracha fish sauce and ENJOY!