This spicy beef noodle soup recipe has a special skill you might not expect: It has the power to cool you down. Similar to iconic dishes like Vietnamese bún bò huế and bún riêu, which are frequently eaten on the hottest days of the year, the soup combines chile heat (in the form of a savory jam flavored with lemongrass and garlic) and temperature heat. The two types of heat work in tandem to increase sweat, which in turn brings down your body temperature.
For long-simmered flavor without the long cook time, start with store-bought broth (or homemade broth if you’re feeling extra ambitious) and reinforce it with aromatics including green onions, garlic, ginger, and fish sauce. Ask your butcher for shaved beef (any cut works, but we recommend brisket, sirloin, beef shank, or beef chuck). You’ll ladle the hot broth over the raw meat, which will just cook it through. Again, if you’re the DIY type, you can chill a larger cut of beef in the freezer for 30 to 60 minutes, then use your sharpest knife to cut the meat into thin slices.
Tiny tender mushrooms add a bit more umami, but you can take some liberties: Poach sliced fennel or halves of baby bok choy in the broth until tender. Swap out the beef for pork belly or butterflied shrimp. Trade the rice noodles and meat for store-bought frozen dumplings. Whichever way you go, complete the picture with crunchy bean sprouts, cooling fresh cilantro, and invigorating lime juice, and bring the chile jam to the table so diners can garnish to their tolerance level.