Vietnamese-Style Beef Noodle Soup

Soup sound too hot in the summer? You might give this a try--it is light, refreshing and completely delicious! Plus it is something you get to "build" and kids have fun adding their own ingredients.

Ingredients:
8 oz thick rice noodles

Broth
5 cups chicken broth
4 cloves of garlic, smashed and peeled
2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled, cut into 1/8 inch rounds and smashed
2 cinnamon sticks
2 star anise
2 T asian fish sauce
1 T soy sauce
1 T sugar

Soup
12 oz sirloin steak cut in 1/4 inch strips
black pepper
1 T vegetable oil
2 C bean sprouts
1 jalepeno chile, thinly sliced
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
1/3 cup loose-pack fresh basil leaves
1/3 cup loose-pack fresh mint leaves
1/3 cup loose-pack fresh cilantro
unsalted roasted peanuts
lime wedges

Directions:
Noodles
1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot.
2. Off heat, add rice sticks, and let sit until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Drain and distribute among four bowls.

Broth
1. Bring all ingredients to boil in medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; simmer partially covered to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove solids with slotted spoon and discard. Cover and keep hot over low heat until ready to serve.

Assembling the Soup
1. Season steak with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half of steak slices in single layer and sear until well-browned, 1 to 2 minutes on each side; set aside. Repeat with remaining slices. (I prefer to leave the steak whole, sear it quickly on both sides, then slice and serve in the soup--the meat will be quite rare, but will cook further in the soup broth.)
2. Divide the noodles and sprouts among the bowls. (If desired, you can also slice up cabbage and include in the soup--it is delicious.)
3. Add the steak, then ladle in the broth.
4. Sprinkle on the remaining ingredients and serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately