Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 2-3 T vegetable oil
- 2 T double strength tomato paste
- 1 1/2 t Thai shrimp paste
- 2 T nam prik pao
- 3 shallots, (thinly sliced)
- 4 garlic cloves, (minced)
- 1/4 cup water
- 3 qt low sodium, (or no sodium if homemade good quality beef stock (I used homemade))
- 1 bruised lemongrass stalk, (tied into a knot)
- 2 T Thai fish sauce, (plus more to taste)
- 2 T light brown sugar
- cooked rice vermicelli
- chopped cilantro
- chopped napa cabbage
- chopped scallions, (we did not have)
- chopped Thai basil, (we did not have)
- lime wedges, (lime juice was crucial to this, we felt)
- fish sauce
- nam prik pao
- Sirracha
- thinly sliced beef steak, (such as round steak (what I used) or sirloin*)
Instruction
- Whisk together the oil, tomato paste, shrimp paste, and the 2 tablespoons of nam prik pao.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the tomato paste mixture. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the chopped shallots and minced garlic. Cook another minute. Add the water and cook, on medium high heat now, until the water starts to evaporate, 5 minutes or so.
- Add the beef stock and bring to a boil. Add the lemongrass knot, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce and the light brown sugar. Cover and reduce to low to maintain a bare simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to blend the flavors.
- Serve over the cooked rice vermicelli with the garnishes.
- *If you are using the beef steak, bring the soup to a rolling boil. Place some slices of the raw steak into the bowl with the rice vermicelli. Ladle boiling soup over the noodles and steak--the thinly sliced steak will cook in the boiling soup.
