Rice Soup with Beef and Ginger

Name: Rice Soup with Beef and Ginger
Yield: serves 4 as a light lunch, or 6 with 2 or 3 other dishes
Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons peeled and finely shredded fresh ginger (page 51); 1/4 pound hand-minced beef steak (page 69) or ground beef, preferably chuck; Salt; 8 cups Basic Rice Soup (page 67); 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Vietnamese coriander or cilantro leaves; 1 scallion, green tops only, thinly sliced; Black pepper

December 14, 2011

This rice soup is the closing dish for the popular Vietnamese seven-course beef feast, where its primary role is to settle the stomach after six indulgent courses. At that point, I find it hard to enjoy the soup because I’m usually stuffed. But I regularly make this soup for lunch. It is a good way to get sustenance without feeling weighed down.

Cooks' Note

For extra richness, crack an egg into each bowl as you are dividing up the ginger and beef. Break the membrane of the yolk with the tip of a knife to facilitate cooking once the soup is added.

Recipe notes

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