Tina: Recently I have had the opportunity to take cooking lessons from Mama Le’s Kitchen (a.k.a. my mom). She taught herself how to cook the Vietnamese dishes by remembering all the wonderful flavors in food that she ate when she lived in Vietnam 34 years ago.
Vietnamese food takes a lot of preparation and everything is sliced to perfection. Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a traditional clear noodle soup from Vietnam. The soup is traditionally boiled with either chicken or beef bones, and served with meat, rice noodles, bean spouts and herbs.
The distinguished flavor in the pho broth comes from the star anise, cassia bark and fish sauce, but the extra depth in flavor comes from charring the onions, ginger and garlic. This method adds a touch of smokiness to your pho.
My mum advised me that the stock tastes even better if you let it sit for another day in the fridge. The fat in the stock will rise to the top and harden. I like to skim the fat off the stock, but it’s a matter of preference.
Recipe: Pho Ga – Vietnamese Noodle Soup
Vietnamese food takes a lot of preparation and everything is sliced to perfection. Pho (pronounced “fuh”) is a traditional clear noodle soup from Vietnam. The soup is traditionally boiled with either chicken or beef bones, and served with meat, rice noodles, bean spouts and herbs.
4-6
servingsIngredients
- Soup
1 whole chicken, preferably organically raised, antibiotic free, free-range chicken
1 large onion, sliced in half and charred over a gas stove or a burner.
5 whole garlic cloves, charred over a gas stove or a burner
1 (3-inch) ginger root, sliced in half lengthwise and crushed with a meat tenderizer or a big knife
2 large carrots, cut into thirds to fit in the pot
1 leek, cut in half, washed and cleaned
2 anise stars
1 piece of 2-inch x 1-inch cassia bark (Vietnamese cinnamon). If you don’t have it at home you can leave it out
1 teaspoon cracked white pepper
3-5 tablespoons fish sauce
1-2 tablespoons salt
- To be added when serving
1 package dried pho rice noodles (they come in different width, so it’s a matter of preference)
Bean sprouts (mung beans)
Lime wedges (to squeeze the juice in the soup)
Mint leaves
Cilantro (roughly chopped)
Yellow onion (thinly sliced)
Fish sauce
- Optional garnish and condiments (optional choices, but a must in my opinion)
Thinly sliced jalapeño
Sliced romaine lettuce leaves
Thai basil leaves
Fried onions
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Dried, shredded woodear mushrooms (soaked in water)
Shrimp
Directions
- Wash and clean the inside and outside of your chicken and put it in a large stock pot with the breast side up.
Char the onion, garlic and ginger over a gas stove burner or with a cooking torch (the type you use for making crème brûlée) until 50% black, and add them to the stockpot with the rest of the ingredients. Add water to cover the chicken.
Cover with a lid and bring the water to a boil over high heat. - When the water comes to a boil, turn the stove off (do not remove the lid) and let the chicken poach for 40 min. This method will cook the chicken to perfection.
- Remove the chicken from the stock and let it cool off. When cool enough, carve all the meat of the chicken and return the bones to the stock. Shred the meat with your fingers and store it in the fridge.
Simmer the stock for another 1 ½ hours. - If you want the stock to collect more flavors, allow the soup to cool off and then let it sit in the fridge overnight. You can choose to skip this step if you don’t have the patience to wait.
- Prepare the noodles by soaking them in warm water for about 30 minutes.
- Prepare the condiments by thinly slicing the onions and jalapeño, peeling the mint leaves off the stem, and roughly chopping the cilantro. Vietnamese people do not like the roots on the bean sprouts, so they will use the time to remove the roots on every single little sprout. Patience is rewarding. Arrange all the condiments on a nice platter.
- Strain the soup using a cheesecloth and a strainer and skim off any excess oil. This will make the soup clear. Add fish sauce and salt to taste.
- Right before serving, pour boiling water over the noodles while straining. This will heat the noodles so your pho stays hot.
- Put a small amount of noodles in each serving bowl, and add the hot soup into the bowl. The noodles will cook to al dente. Add the shredded chicken on top and serve.
- Serve the condiments on the side so people can choose their preference.
- If you want to follow the authentic Vietnamese method, have a little bowl on the side with either hoisin sauce or fish sauce to dip the meat from your soup in. Chúc ngon miệng! (enjoy)
