Recipe - Star Anise Beef-Rice Noodle Soup

2 (1in) chunks fresh ginger
3 Shallots; unpeeled
1 Onion; unpeeled
2 One half qt Water
1 One half pound Oxtails
chopped into sections
1 pound Beef shank
2 Whole star anise
1 Cinnamon stick
3 Whole cloves
One fourth cup Vietnamese fish sauce
(nuoc mam)
1 teaspoon Salt; or to taste
One half pound Flat ricestick noodles
soaked in water
for 20 minutes
6 ounce Sirloin steak
trimmed of fat & cut or sliced up
into paperthin slices
1 Onion; cut or sliced up thin
2 cup Bean sprouts
One fourth cup Fresh coriander leaves
(coarsely chopped)
2 Green onions
cut into 2inlong
thin julienne slices
1 Lime; cut or sliced up into 8 wedges
2 Red chiles; thinly cut or sliced up

PUT GINGER, SHALLOTS AND ONION on a baking sheet; place under a hot broiler
until charred. In a stock pot, bring the water, oxtails and beef shank to a
boil. Thoroughly skim and discard the scum from the surface of the stock.
Drop the charred ingredients, star anise, cinnamon stick and cloves into
pot, reduce to low heat; simmer for 2 hours. Remove the meat. Remove and
shred the meat from the shank and reserve. Return the bone to the simmering
stock. Simmer 1 hour longer. When soup is done, remove and discard bones.
Strain and degrease stock; add fish sauce and salt. Keep warm. In a
separate pot, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Drain noodles and add to
boiling water; cook for 1 minute. Drain in a colander. Divide noodles among
8 soup bowls (about 1to2cupsize bowls). Divide and top each bowl of
noodles with shredded cooked beef, the raw sirloin steak slices, onion
slices and bean sprouts. Ladle about 1 One fourth cups hot soup stock (this will
cook the beef) to cover the noodles and beef, top with fresh coriander and
green onions. Serve with squeeze of lime and chiles.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini