One of my favourite , it is easy but sophisticated bowl of chicken noodle soup. Pho is Vietnam's national dish, it has many types, the most popular one is beef pho, will share recipe in later blogs for sure. Chicken is probably one of most ordered in restaurants outside Vietnam, It has this beautiful clear broth blends in with fresh herbs and spicy condiments that makes this dish irresistible. If you are food oriented or as they say foodie individual, I'm pretty sure you know what I am talking about.
Pho in general needs a little bit of time to cook to achieve that beautiful aroma in your broth, but this recipe no need to wait for hours to have that wonderful aromatic broth. But of course if you prefer cooking your chicken for longer please do so. Spices that are needed for Pho dishes are quite accessible, and they are probably sitting right in your cupboards or pantries already. When you are ready let's get on with it. Happy cooking!
What you need to get
Star anise - this is widely available, if not available in your local supermarket for sure in an asian supermarket
Cinnamon stick
Coriander seeds
Cloves
Black cardamom pods or green if not available
Rice noodles - normally if you are in an asian supermarket, there is an aisle that are dedicated to dried noodles that comes from different parts of Asia, if you come across Vietnamese products get the noodles that has a label that says Pho noodles. Otherwise, rice noodles that are a little bit thinner but not too thin is perfectly fine. See photo below for reference.
Thai sweet basil, optional
Saw-tooth coriander- sometimes refer as Thai coriander , if not available not to worry
Pho Ga
Full Ingredients: Serves 4-5
rice noodles
3 litres water
3 large chicken legs
2-3 inches ginger, you can add more ginger if you like
2 medium onion
1/2 daikon, chunck see photo for reference
1tbsp coriander seeds
5 pcs cloves
2 pcs star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 black cardamom pods , if not available use 3 green cardamom pods
Seasoning:
medium size rock sugar
1/4 cup fish sauce, adjust later according to taste
Accompaniment :
handful bean sprouts, blanched before assembling
handful spring onions , thinly chop or thinly julienned
handful mint leaves, coriander leaves, saw-tooth coriander
Thai sweet basil, optional
thinly slice white or red onions
sriracha sauce
hoisin sauce
chilli powder ( Thai Chilli Powder in particular) for spicier tastebuds
Method :
Pan-roast spices until aromatic, make sure not to burn them. Cool down, place in a spice bag and set aside.
Lightly pan grill or directly grill the onions and ginger on your hob if using induction it is easier, if using gas hobs see photo below as reference on how to grill it. Set aside.
In a pot, bring 3 litres of water to boil add chicken, grilled onions, gingers, daikon , pan-roasted spices , fish sauce, and rock sugar. Simmer for 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, soak noodles with warm water for 10 minutes, then drain and set aside for assembling later.
Taste broth and adjust seasoning accordingly, simmer for another 5 minutes then removed meat broth. Continue simmering the broth in low heat while prepping the noodles to serve. When meat is workable start to pull meat from bones aand set aside. Tip: Removing meat from boiling broth after 40 minutes, place in an ice water to stop the cooking process of the meat then set aside. Then continue simmering until ready to assemble.
Assembling: Boil water in a pot, blanch beansprouts,noodles, some thinly white onions, coriander leaves for few seconds. Place it at the bottom of the bowl first, add chicken slices or strips, pour broth and add necessary accompaniment you like listed above. Enjoy!