Pho

The History:
Pho (pronounced "fuh") is a Vietnamese soup made with a flavorful broth, rice noodles, and assorted cuts of meat. It's become popular in the US, but was originally sold by street vendors in Vietnam. I first encountered pho soup in Seattle, where one can order a gigantic bowl of chicken or vegetarian pho, served with a side of bean sprouts (which I abhor but others like), basil leaves, lime, and jalapenos for about $5. Some restaurants serve a cream-filled french pastry (it's like an eclair but I don't know the word for it) at the beginning of the meal!

The Process:
The recipes were pretty straightforward- a chicken-based broth (made from various chicken organs), simmered with spices (anise, cinnamon, cardamom, etc.), and rice noodles, served with assorted toppings. The hardest part was acquiring the spices. The Italian grocery down the street doesn't carry all of those, so I had to time this recipe with a trip to Whole Foods (also so I could get a whole, organic, free-range, humanely treated chicken.) Making the broth took some time, but other than that, this was an easy dish.

The Recipe:
We roasted the chicken a day or two before I started the stock, and ate much of the meat (thought we saved a breast to add to the soup later on). I put the bones (cracked), a stick of cinnamon, a few anise stars, a sprinkle of cardamom, some cloves, garlic, ginger, onion, and peppercorn in a crockpot with ample water, and let the crockpot simmer overnight. (By the way, my house is really tiny, and this resulted in all my clothes smelling like pho broth for days. Nathan did not appreciate this.) Remove the bones, strain the broth, then add mushrooms, and then rice noodles (don't boil them, they'll soften in a few minutes in hot broth). You can add onion and green onion, too.                                   

At a restaurant, the waiter brings out a dish of bean sprouts, jalapeno peppers, limes, and basil so that you can spice up your own soup- plus there's cock sauce and hoisin sauce at the table.  I served my pho with a few other items- more cilantro and julienned carrots (I have a new mandoline so it's fun to slice things now). I invited a few friends over and everyone decorated their pho to their hearts' content!

The Results: 

The pho was definitely a hit. We were all exhausted from a party the night before and I think the pho made everyone feel better. The broth was flavorful, and it was fun to have an assortment of toppings to add to the soup. Would I make it again? Perhaps- we rarely roast whole chickens, so making the pho stock would likely be a rare occasion, but obviously the dish is simple to make so if I had the spices and herbs, I'd make it again. However, for me, part of the fun of pho is trying it at different small Vietnamese restaurants, tasting different broths, and topping my own soup. Pho is inexpensive, and a delicious, simple meal- I kind of like the simplicity of having it prepared for me. However, like my other experimental recipes, I'm glad to know how it is made!