Ingredients
Broth
- 1.5 kgbeef bones
- 500 gbeef brisket or shin
- 3 litreswater
- 1onion, charred
- 5cm ginger, charred
- 3star anise
- 1cinnamon stick
- 1 tspcoriander seed
- 2 tbspfish sauce
- 1 tbsprock sugar
- salt
Noodles
- 400 gflat rice noodles
Toppings
- 200 gbeef, sliced very thin
- beef meatballs
- spring onion
- fried garlic
Herb tray
- Thai basil, mint, coriander, sawtooth herb
- beansprouts
- lettuce leaves
- lime wedges
- sliced chilli
- pickled garlic
Condiments
- hoisin
- chilli sauce
- padaek or fish sauce
- sugar
- chilli flakes
To serve
- for breakfast, at a noodle shop
Directions
- Wash out the pot before starting properly. Char the onion and ginger directly over a flame until blackened in patches. Toast the star anise, cinnamon and coriander seed briefly in a dry pan until fragrant. Now the simmer, which takes hours.
- Simmer everything for at least three hours. Keep it at the barest simmer with the surface barely trembling, and never let it boil. Skim diligently for the first thirty minutes. Use the whole spices sparingly, since Lao feu is generally less aggressively spiced than pho.
- Taste as it simmers and lift the spices out once the flavour is there. Season with fish sauce, rock sugar and salt. Rock sugar gives a rounder sweetness than granulated, and the broth should be faintly sweet.
- Strain the finished broth through a fine sieve or muslin. Blanch them to order rather than in advance, since they go soft and gluey within minutes of standing.
- Slice the raw beef as thinly as you can, which is easier if it is partly frozen. The broth must be at a rolling boil when it is ladled.
- Put the noodles in the bowl, lay the raw sliced beef and any cooked meat over them. Ladle the boiling broth over, filling the bowl. Scatter spring onion and fried garlic over.
- Set out a generous plate of fresh herbs, beansprouts, lettuce, lime and chilli. The quantity should look excessive, since Lao diners use a great deal of it. Tear the herbs in, squeeze lime over, add chilli and season to taste.
Technique
- Feu came from Vietnamese pho during the French Indochina years and diverged.
- The large tray of fresh herbs is the defining Lao difference.
- Padaek, the Lao fermented fish condiment, is used at the table.
Substitutions
- Ordinary fish sauce in place of padaek.
- Any flat rice noodle.
Variations
- Made with chicken instead of beef.
- Khao piak sen, the Lao tapioca noodle soup.
- Made with a spicier broth, as in some regions.
History
The Lao cousin of Vietnamese pho, brought over during the French Indochina years and reworked with more herbs.
Frequently asked questions
What is Feu?
Feu is a soup & stew from Laos: lao beef noodle soup served with a tray of herbs, lime and chilli. The Lao cousin of Vietnamese pho, brought over during the French Indochina years and reworked with more herbs.
How long does Feu take to make?
Feu takes 40 min of preparation and 3 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Feu?
Yes, within limits. Ordinary fish sauce in place of padaek. Any flat rice noodle.
What is the most important thing to get right in Feu?
Simmer everything for at least three hours. Keep it at the barest simmer with the surface barely trembling, and never let it boil. Skim diligently for the first thirty minutes. Use the whole spices sparingly, since Lao feu is generally less aggressively spiced than pho.
