Pho Vo Vien - Vietnamese Beef Ball Soup

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 35 mins Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 lb chuck steak
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 cup chopped green onion
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro stem
• sesame oil
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup black bean sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemongrass, minced
• 1/4 cup hot chili sauce (sriracha)

Recipe

• 1 slice meat thinly; mix with pepper, salt, cornstarch, oil, and baking powder.
• 2 let meat stand for 1 hour, then place meat in a plastic ziplock bag and set in freezer for 45 minutes, turning each 10 minutes to keep from freezing.
• 3 remove from freezer and mince very fine in small quantities, or grind in a mortar.
• 4 boil 2 cups of water in a saucepan, then reduce to a simmer.
• 5 mix 1 cup of cold water with 1 teaspoon salt; oil your hands, and place about a tablespoonful of meat in your palm and squeeze tightly.
• 6 dip soup spoon into salty water, then use to lower meatball into boiling water; remove meatballs when they turn or rise to the surface.
• 7 repeat method until all meatballs are finished.
• 8 after all the meatballs are done, add 1 quart of water and 1 teaspoon of salt to the water and bring to a boil.
• 9 skim off the foam.
• 10 reduce the heat to low, add the beef balls to the stock and simmer for 3-5 minutes.
• 11 to serve, put 5-6 beef balls and some soup in a bowl and sprinkle with some green onions, chopped cilantro, and 1-2 drops of sesame oil.
• 12 make 3 bowls of dipping sauces for the meatballs: 1 with hoisin sauce, 1 with black bean sauce, and 1 with sriracha chile sauce and lemongrass stirred together.
• 13 sip the soup and dip the meatballs into the bowls of dipping sauces.