This soup is great for winter or summer, and great to serve to guests because they can build their own soup to their own taste. I have made this a few times for guests, and while at first they have baulked at the idea of lettuce in soup, once they start eating everything begins to make sense.

Ingredients:

• 2 small rib-eye fillets (or other tender beef cut)
• 1L beef stock (you can make this from stock cubes, but liquid is better if you can get it)
• 1-2 sticks celery - thinly sliced
• 1 brown onion - cut in quarters, then sliced thinly
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1tsp cracked black pepper
• 2tbsp oyster sauce
• 2tbsp soy sauce
• coriander (fresh) to taste
• vermicelli (rice) noodles (1 cake for two people) - I prefer to use white kind, not the glass noodle kind
• bean sprouts
• shredded lettuce
• sliced mushrooms

Method:

Put the stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and add the onion, celery, half the sliced mushrooms, garlic, ginger, coriander, oyster sauce, soy sauce and black pepper.

Simmer for 10 minutes.

While the soup is simmering, place the rice noodles in a separate bowl of pot and pour in enough boiling water to cover them. Separate the noodles with a fork and leave them to sit in the hot water for 10 minutes. Drain.

Thinly slice the beef. Turn the soup mixture up to a fast simmer, and then dunk the slices of beef into it in single layered batches using a slotted spoon or similar. Do not cook the meat for more than 30 seconds; it should be only lightly cooked.

Put the beef aside in a warm place.

Turn the soup back down to a gentle simmer and skim off any scum.

Prepare the bowls:

Divide the cooked noodles, shredded lettuce, bean sprouts and the rest of the sliced mushrooms into large soup bowls, and then place beef strips on top. Pour the hot soup over the vegetables and serve immediately. The soup will lightly cook the vegetables and will finish off the beef perfectly.

Alternatively, you can put all the ingredients on the table and have people build their own soup. If you want other vegetables, you can try adding snow peas, shredded carrot or other Asian vegies.