Sometimes
it’s nice to eat light in the evening. A large lunch or a lunch eaten late in
the afternoon sometimes warrants very little for dinner. In these cases, a clear
soup is ideal. That was what I decided on for dinner the other night.
Pho is a Vietnamese
noodle soup consisting of broth, linguine-shaped rice noodles, a few herbs and
meat. It is a popular street food in Vietnam and the specialty of a number of
restaurant chains around the world. Pho is usually served with either beef or
chicken, but can be made with pork or tofu. Styles of pho differ by noodle
width, sweetness of broth, and choice of herbs.
Pho
originated in the early 20th Century in northern Vietnam. In the
aftermath of the Vietnam War, refugees brought pho to many countries. In the
United States, pho began to enter the mainstream during the 1990’s as relations
between the U.S. and Vietnam improved. Today it is ubiquitous in the Vietnamese
neighborhoods of larger cities.
The key to
good pho is the broth. The broth is made especially flavorful by simmering beef
bones (for beef pho) or chicken bones (for chicken pho), roasted onion, roasted
ginger along with spices such as Saigon cinnamon, star anise, black
cardamom, coriander seed, fennel seed and clove. The spices are often wrapped
in cheesecloth or a soaking bag to prevent them from floating all over the pot.
Salt is typically added at the end.
Vietnamese
dishes can be incredibly healthy as they are typically served with lots of greens, herbs, vegetables, and accompaniments such as dipping sauce, hot and spicy pastes, and a
squeeze of lime or lemon juice.
Toppings for
pho typically include green onions and/or white onions, Thai basil (not sweet basil), fresh Thai chili peppers, lemon or lime wedges, bean sprouts and cilantro. Hoisin sauce and chili sauce are usually sitting on the tables of pho restaurants. All these condiments are served alongside the soup on a separate plate, such as in the photo, right.
Vegetarian
variations of pho use vegetable broth as a base, along with tofu for protein
and a larger variety of vegetables, such as carrots and broccoli.
Either way
you serve it, pho is incredibly light and healthy. Great for a light supper
when you don’t want to eat too much.
 |
| Roasted chicken bones |
In my opinion, the best way
to make the broth is by slow cooking it in a slow cooker all day. I do this when I make bone broth. I just throw the carcass of a roasted chicken, for instance, in the slow cooker and let it cook anywhere from 24-48 hours. What's great about this method is that the chicken was roasted beforehand, thereby providing additional flavor; the bones get a chance to be useful instead of being thrown out; the broth contains important minerals that have been extracted from the bones; not to mention that the deep rich flavor that results from cooking it this way cannot be matched by any store-bought chicken broth!
 |
Homemade chicken broth,
deep and rich! |
When you've got the broth made, the hard
work is done, so that you can quickly assemble the soup in the evening. Prepare
the broth the evening before by placing everything in the slow cooker insert
and refrigerating it overnight. In the morning, take out the insert and place
it into the slow cooker and turn the crock pot on low. When you get home, boil
the chicken. While the chicken is cooking, start chopping your herbs and
vegetables.
Directions for Chicken Pho
Broth:
Round up some chicken bones (again, the carcass from a roasted chicken is perfect)*. Place
bones, ideally with some meat left on them, in your slow cooker and cover with
water. If you have
time, roast the following first: 1 chopped white onion and a 1-2” piece of
fresh ginger, sliced, until slightly browned. Otherwise, just add them raw to
the slow cooker. In addition to the bones and water, onion and ginger, gather 1
stick cinnamon, 1 star anise, 1 tsp. each of cardamom, coriander, fennel seed
and 2-3 whole cloves, and place all of the above in the slow cooker and cook
all day.
If making
vegetable broth, don’t overdo it. A longer cooking time does not improve
a vegetable broth. In fact, sometimes it turns downright bitter. Add as many
vegetables as you can that are typically used for veg broth (e.g., carrots, celery, onion and/or leek, bay leaf, peppercorns) in addition to all
the spices called for in pho.
Assembling
the soup:
Boil a
chicken breast or 1-2 thighs per person in some water. When cooked, remove from the water and chop into bite sized pieces, reserving the hot water. Add your rice noodles to that liquid, allowing them to sit there for
5-10 minutes. In the meantime:
Slice a white onion
Chop a few scallions
Wash some bean sprouts
Slice some white mushrooms (optional)
Chop a Thai chili (or a jalapeno)
Wash and dry some Thai basil and cilantro (chop them if you like)
Taste your broth. If it has enough
flavor for you, then you’re ready. If it tastes like it needs something, you
can add a shot of Bragg’s Liquid Aminos, or a teeny bit of soy sauce or tamari
to it. Taste again. If it lacks any salt at this point,
add some.
Place as
much meat as you want into a deep noodle bowl, then ladle 1½ - 2 cups of your
homemade broth over it. Add a ½ cup of the "cooked" rice noodles, and a little
bit of each of the toppings. Serve with Sriracha hot sauce and hoisin sauce as
they do in the pho houses. Nom nom!
* For a traditional beef pho, check out this blog article. It's got good advice for preparing the beef bones and what kind of meat to use.
Garnish with tiny minced cucumbers, bay shrimp or sprigs of dill or a combination of those.
