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.

Method:

• 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 in S.E. Asia: hot, savory, sour, sweet and aromatic.
• It is a great refreshing and delicious soup.
• 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!!