Steak Family friendly Main Asian

Cambodian beef soup

Name: Cambodian beef soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: /asian, /asian recipes
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 1 large lemongrass stem (pale part only), thinly sliced; 1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped, plus extra thinly sliced chilli to serve; 2 tbs tamarind paste; 1 large tomato, chopped; 1.5L (6 cups) veal or beef stock; 4 kaffir lime leaves; 2 tbs fish sauce, or to taste; 500g skirt steak or scotch fillet, trimmed, thinly sliced; 300g silken tofu, cut into 2cm cubes; 1 bunch choy sum, washed, chopped; Thai basil leaves*, bean sprouts and lime wedges, to serve

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by Ben O'Donoghue

Chef, author and TV presenter

Oct 03, 2015

Similar to Vietnamese pho, this beef soup is flavoured with kaffir lime and tamarind.

2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large lemongrass stem (pale part only), thinly sliced
1 small red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped, plus extra thinly sliced chilli to serve
2 tbs tamarind paste
1 large tomato, chopped
1.5L (6 cups) veal or beef stock
4 kaffir lime leaves
2 tbs fish sauce, or to taste
500g skirt steak or scotch fillet, trimmed, thinly sliced
300g silken tofu, cut into 2cm cubes
1 bunch choy sum, washed, chopped
Thai basil leaves*, bean sprouts and lime wedges, to serve

Method

1.

Place garlic, lemongrass and chilli in a mortar and pestle, and pound into a smooth paste. Add tamarind paste, mixing well to combine, then stir in the chopped tomato. Set the paste aside.
2.

Bring the stock to the boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Stir spice paste and lime leaves into the stock. Simmer over low heat for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Season to taste with fish sauce and pepper.
3.

Using tongs, dip beef slices in batches into the simmering soup for 1 minute or until just cooked on the outside. Divide beef, tofu and choy sum among 4 bowls, then ladle over the hot soup.
4.

Serve with basil, bean sprouts, lime and extra chilli to add at the table.