Additives and condiments make this Vietnamese classic a please-all solution when the family gets finicky.
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Adam Ewing
Pho BO
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Adam Ewing
Pho Ga
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Adam Ewing
Pho Ca Hoi
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Adam Ewing
Herbs, sprouts, chilis and citrus wedges make pho a personalized endeavor.
There’s nothing mysterious about it: a bowl of noodles, a few herbs, some protein and lots of warm, steamy broth. Many cultures serve it under native names, but no matter where you are when you spoon it up, it’s still basically noodle soup, right? Ahhh, not so with pho. Oh, no, pho is so much more.
For starters, it’s healthy. You can’t get real pho (pronounced FUH) in a can (yet), so ingredients are always fresh and unprocessed. And in the hands of the Vietnamese, pho becomes a personalized endeavor—the perfect solution when those people who inhabit your kitchen (called family) can’t agree on what to have for dinner. And when the weather turns noses and toes to icicles, you can have it for many meals, never repeating the way it tastes. Everyone has the chance to make it their own by drawing—in any combination, in any proportion—from a colorful array of herbs, sprouts, chilis and citrus wedges that accompany every bowl.
As with life, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Pho has all the restorative properties of global noodle soup. And it's a soup-er way to settle, once and for all, the “What’s for dinner?” duels that break out on occasion. When that happens, there's an easy answer: It's pho. Duh.
Pho Bo
5 tablespoons salt
2 pounds oxtails
1 head garlic, unpeeled
4 large onions, unpeeled
6 ounces ginger, unpeeled
2 pounds beef bones
4-5 pounds beef brisket
6 ounces fish sauce
3 ounces rock sugar (available at Asian markets)
3 ½ pounds rice noodles, ½ inch wide, about 7
ounces per person
16 ounces trimmed sirloin, thinly sliced
Spice pouch:
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 teaspoons Sichuan peppercorns
5 star anise
10 cloves
1 teaspoon whole cardamom
Toast each ingredient for the spice pouch separately in a pan over low heat, shaking frequently for 2-3 minutes. Cool and grind coarsely. Place all into a cheesecloth bag.
Cover oxtails in cold water. Add salt and soak for one hour. Drain.
Grill garlic, onions and ginger over an open flame for 10-15 minutes. When cool, peel and discard blackened skin. Roughly chop remainders. Put oxtails, bones and brisket into 7 quarts water and bring to boil, constantly skimming impurities from surface, for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to simmer, then add fish sauce, 1 tablespoon salt, and remaining ingredients, including spice pouch. Cover and simmer for 4 hours. Strain stock through cheesecloth into a clean pot. Set brisket aside to cool; then thinly slice. Remove as much fat as possible from stock.
Blanch noodles in boiling water for 20-30 seconds. Drain and put in a large bowl. Top with 2-3 slices of brisket and 3-4 ounces sliced raw sirloin. Pour hot stock over all.
Serve with accompaniments.
Serves 8
Pho Ga
2 yellow onions, unpeeled
1 four-inch piece ginger, unpeeled
3 ½-4 pound whole chicken
2 pounds chicken backs and necks
5 quarts water
1 ½ tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 ounce rock sugar
2 tablespoons coriander seeds, toasted
4 cloves
½ bunch cilantro plus ½ cup chopped
2 pounds yellow noodles
4 green onions, thinly sliced
Grill onions and ginger over open flame for 10-15 minutes. When cool, peel and discard blackened skin. Roughly chop remainders. Cover all chicken in water and boil for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse. Return to pot, cover all chicken in water again and bring to a boil, skimming impurities. Reduce heat to simmer and add yellow onions, ginger and spices. Cook for 45 minutes. Remove whole chicken, leaving backs and necks in broth in pot. Remove meat from legs and breast and thighs and reserve. Return carcass to broth. Add ½ bunch cilantro and cook for 1½ hours. Strain broth through cheesecloth and discard solids. Skim fat and adjust flavor with fish sauce, salt and sugar. Blanch noodles for 15-20 seconds. Divide noodles and chicken meat between bowls and cover with broth. Garnish with green onions and cilantro.
Serve with accompaniments.
Serves 6
Pho Ca Hoi
4 shallots, unpeeled
2 ounces ginger, unpeeled
1 ½ pounds salmon bones, plus head
3 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
3 lemongrass stalks, cut in half lengthwise
3 ounces fish sauce
2 tablespoons rock sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ pounds fresh salmon fillet (cut six pieces for cooking; slice remainder)
1 pound thin rice noodles
cilantro for garnish
Grill shallots and ginger over open flame 10-15 minutes. When cool, peel and discard blackened skin. Roughly chop remainders. Combine 10 cups water with salmon bones and heads, shallots, ginger and spices. Bring to a boil, skimming impurities from surface for 6-7 minutes. Reduce heat to
low and cook for 25 minutes. Add fish sauce, sugar and salt and bring to boil. Continue skimming impurities for 4-5 minutes. Simmer for 20 minutes over low heat.
Increase heat to medium and add salmon pieces. Cook 2-3 minutes. Remove salmon pieces with slotted spoon. Strain broth
through cheesecloth into a clean pot. Discard solids, reserving lemongrass. Blanch noodles 20-30 seconds and divide among bowls. Place thinly sliced salmon in each bowl and place a piece of cooked salmon on top. Garnish with lemongrass and cilantro. Pour broth into each bowl.
Serve with accompaniments.
Serves 6
