(recipe for one portion)
150-200ml beef stock (hot)
1 portion of rice noodles
1 clove of garlic
2tsp fish cause
1tsp lime juice
1 red chili
small lump of ginger
few green pepper corns
bunch of green stuff: coriander, basil, parsley, pak choi, 1 spring onion
half a lemongrass stalk, outer removed.
100g beef fillet steak
1tsp palm sugar

I can't take full credit (or any actually) for this recipe. I was watching Rick Stein's program the other week. A few days later I came in from a day biking and wondered what to have to pick myself up. Baked beans? Cheese toasty? Not today. Because I had a brain wave. Or rather cobbled together a dish inspired be aforementioned Pudstow legend. I had a small bit of fillet beef in the fridge, some stock in the freezer, and fresh chilis, spring onions, pak choi, corriander and basil in the glasshouse. This is what I did:

Prepare yor ingedients: Chop the spring onions in half, bash the garlic and lemongrass. Throw the white of the onion, the garlic and the lemon grass into your warming stalk.

Finely chop the herbs, ginger, chili and pak choi. Slice the beef into 3mm thick slices.

Cook the noodles in some lightly salted water. Drain.

Place noodles in a warm soup bowl. Place the beef on top. Pour over your boiling hot stock Along with the garlic, lemon grass and onion) so it covers the the noodles and beef slices.. This is how the beef is cooked!! Just the residual heat is enough to barely cook the beef.

Add the fish sauce, pepper corns, palm sugar, bit of black pepper. Now, throw in the ginger, chili and the green herbs and pak choi, and a squeeze of lime

Ready to serve!! Just before you tuck in (with chopstick) give the greens a good stir in to the stock and tuck in.

It is typical SE Asian: hot, savory, sour, sweet and aromatic. It is a great refreshing and delicious soup. And just the carb and protein hit I needed after 6 hours biking.

And it is pretty much FAT FREE. Not that I really care, it just happened by accident, honest!!