Soups Recipes - Beef Broth with Water Spinach Recipe

Ingredients

• 30ml/2 tbsp fish sauce

• 5ml/1 tsp sugar

• 175g/6oz beef fillet, finely sliced across the grain into 2.5cm/1 in strips

• 1.2 liters/5 cups beef or chicken stock

• 175g/6oz water spinach, trimmed, rinsed, leaves and stalks separated

• juice of 1 lemon ground black pepper

• 1 fresh red or green chili, seeded and finely sliced, to garnish

Serves 4-6

---

Method:

1. In a bowl, stir the fish sauce with the sugar until it has dissolved. Toss in the beef strips and leave to marinate for 38 minutes.

2. Pour the stock into a pan and bring it to the boil. Reduce the heat and add the water spinach. Stir in the lemon juice and season with pepper.

3. Place the meat strips in individual soup bowls and ladle the hot broth over the top. Garnish with chilies and serve.

Note: Water spinach is a popular vegetable through out Vietnam. When cooked, me stems remain crunchy while the leaves soften, ending a delightful contrast of texture to the dish. Served as an appetizer, this is a light soup with tender bites of beef and sour notes of lemon juice.

Cook's Tip: It is important to marinate the beef strips so that they take on the flavorings. If you have time to prepare them in advance, they can be left to marinate overnight.