(If you’re just joining this series, you’ll find a fire cider recipe here to get you started and other recipes using fire cider here… If you’re back for more, welcome back!)
Yes, there are still more amazing ways to use fire cider. Here are a few more of the recipes we love!
If you haven’t yet discovered the mouth miracle that is traditional Vietnamese pho (pronounced fuh), you owe it to yourself to find a trusted Vietnamese restaurant in your neighborhood yesterday and nom it immediately. (NOTE: Your “neighborhood” may grow to include a good pho restaurant–our favorite is 45 minutes away. And worth it.)
Traditional pho is a complicated masterpiece–special steps are required to faithfully deliver the dish’s traditional flavors.
(Intrigued? You’ll find a veritable primer on pho along with a delicious, true-to-tradition recipe for it here.) At our house, when we want to celebrate pho‘s flavors on short notice, we make a “phony pho” (with fire cider!) instead. It’s not exactly pho, but it does deliver similar experience and flavors (and usually with things we have readily at hand!).
Phony Pho
A delicious, simple soup--featuring fire cider marinade and bone broth--that mirrors the flavors and textures of traditional pho
Ingredients
- 1 cup fire cider
- 1.5-2 lbs beef - flank steak, chuck roast, sirloin, etc.
- 1 organic yellow onion, halved and sliced thin
- 2" piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
- 1T organic high-heat sunflower oil
- 2 1/2 quarts of beef bone broth
- 2 whole star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 cardamom pod
- 3-inch cinnamon stick
- 1T fish sauce
- 1 package of small (1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho rice noodles
- OR 1 package Udon noodles
- OR 4 zucchini "spiralized" into "noodles"
- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin
- 2 scallions, sliced into rings
- 1 bunch cilantro
- Lime wedges, fresh cilantro leaves, Thai basil, fresh mint leaves, bean sprouts, hot Thai chili peppers, etc. for garnish
Directions
- Step 1 THE DAY BEFORE… Marinate the flank steak in your fire cider overnight.
- Step 2 THE DAY OF… At the bottom of a large stock pot, sautée yellow onion and ginger in sunflower oil until onion is clear. Add bone broth, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, and fish sauce. and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes.
- Step 3 While the broth simmers, prepare your noodles of choice according to package directions. (For zucchini noodles, do nothing!)
- Step 4 Slice and prep the red onion and scallions
- Step 5 pull leaves from the cilantro.
- Step 6 Remove flank steak from fire cider marinade. Add to boiling broth for 5 minutes. Remove and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thin.
- Step 7 Scoop solid spices out of bone broth and discard them.
- Step 8 Stage all materials in a line. Line up your pho bowls–note they will need to be BIG soup bowls!
- Step 9 Divide the noodles between the bowls. Place red onion, sliced beef and scallion on top. Ladle hot broth into each bowl. Top with cilantro leaves.
- Step 10 Serve immediately with garnishes on the side.
FIRE FRY
If that all sounds too complicated, you can always make a simple FIRE FRY instead. What the what is a fire fry, you say? It’s a mix-n-match stir fry of fresh veg + tofu/meat + seasonings (including fire cider). 
First, pick your favorite fresh veg and chop. [I recommend baby bok choy, heirloom carrots, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas, and water chestnuts.] Then prepare your meat in uniform slices (or tofu in uniform chunks). Heat your wok to sizzling. Add approximately one tablespoon EACH of sesame or coconut oil, coconut aminos/soy sauce, and fire cider plus one teaspoon sweet chili sauce. Stir fry meat/tofu until desired done-ness. Remove from wok.
Keep wok sizzling hot and add two more tablespoons fire cider to wok before adding in veggies and stirring vigorously. Be careful not to overcook your delicious veggies!
You can enjoy just the protein and veg together or serve them over delicious Asian noodles.
Still too complicated for you? I’ve got some ideas on how to drink fire cider, too… stay tuned!
Bless and blessed be!
