pho bo

Three weeks ago I had never even heard of pho, yet after reading many articles and numerous food blogs, I found myself making my own. Pho (pronounced 'fuh') is a simple and very satisfying dish, but making the stock is time consuming. I assume you could use store bought beef stock and simmer it with the proper herbs, seasonings and vegetables to get the same flavor, but I took the long way (imagine that). Since I know very little about pho, I used a recipe that someone else had already tested out with good results. My only complaint? The overwhelming smell of Thai fish sauce. IT has good flavor, but the smell really pulls my gag string. I would only put 1-2 Tbsp next time instead of a whole 1/4 cup. My grocery was a little low on the necessary produce when I went so I used snow peas instead of bean sprouts. I also used jalapenos and bell peppers, which weren't their recipe. I also slightly browned my beef because my guests didn't like really rare meat.

Overall, it was worth the long hours in the kitchen because this pho is pho-king delicious.