Garnish Plate For Pho

• 2 handfuls (about 3 oz | 90 g) bean sprouts
• 2 or 3 sprigs mint, regular or spicy
• 2 or 3 sprigs Thai basil
• 3 or 4 fresh culantro leaves
• 2 or 3 sprigs rice paddy herb
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• 1 Thai chile or 1/2 jalapeno, Fresno, or serrano chile, thinly sliced

1. If you're blanching the bean sprouts, work it into the pho assembly process and use the pot set up for dunking noodles; the noodle strainer is perfect for the job. Blanch them before starting on the noodles to avoid giving them a starch bath, and put them on their own plate so they don't leak water on other garnishes. Otherwise, arrange the raw sprouts with the herbs and lime on a communal plate.
2. If the chile is small, cut it at a sharp angle to yield largish slices that can be easily identified in the bowl. Put the slices in a little dish so they don't get lost. Before bowl assembly, set the garnishes at the table with any other sides and condiments so you can dive in immediately.

handfuls, mint, basil, culantro, rice paddy, lime, chile

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/garnish-plate-for-pho (may not work)