Beautiful Mermaids: Pho ( Vietnamese rice noodle soup)

Finally a pho recipe! My kids love Pho. It's all three of their favorite food. I make it close to once a week because they ask for it so much. It's funny when my oldest son comes home from school telling me "mom the teacher doesn't know what pho is or how to spell it"! (he always writes on his about me pages his favorite food is pho) I just laugh. If you don't know what pho is you should try it. Most people who try it love it.

There are two ways I make pho. There is the traditional way and a quick and easy way on days my kids are asking for it and I don't have time to make it. I have posted both ways below.

Quick Pho

For the Broth:
8 32 ounces chicken broth
1 whole chicken
1 Pho Packets (see picture below)
1 onion
1 lg piece ginger
1/3 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Salt and pepper
2 rocks of sugar (if you don't have you can use a spoonful of regular sugar)

Pho Rice Noodles

Toppings:
Cilantro chopped
Bean Sprouts
Thai Basil leaves
Jalapenos sliced
Thai Peppers sliced
Green onions diced
Hoisin Sauce (Get the brand Lee Kum Kee)
Siracha

Place chicken in 8 quart pot and cover with chicken broth. Set temp to a simmer. Make sure you skim all the foam that floats to the top and discard it. Move the chicken to make sure all of it floats up. While your waiting for all the foam to float up take onion and ginger and burn it (see picture below). You can burn in the oven, in a pan or straight to the stove fire. When the broth is clear place onion, ginger, pho packet, rock sugar and fish sauce in pot. Let simmer on low for about an hour. Boil Rice noodles while soup is simmering according to the directions on the packet. I would undercook the noodles about 2 minutes. When you serve the soup the hot broth will cook them a little. You don't want mushy noodles.

Once chicken is done take it out of the pot and take all the chicken off. Place noodles in a bowl with chicken and pour hot pho broth on top. Garnish with toppings and hosin sauce and hot sauce. What ever your taste prefers.

Traditional Pho

For the Broth:
5 lb beef bones, tail are recommended
1 whole chicken
1 london broil steak thinly sliced
1 Pho Packet (see picture below)
1 onion
1 lg piece ginger
1/3 cup fish sauce (nuoc mam)
Salt and pepper
2 rocks of sugar (if you don't have you can use a spoonful of regular sugar)

Pho Rice Noodles

Toppings:
Cilantro chopped
Bean Sprouts
Thai Basil leaves
Jalapenos sliced
Thai Peppers sliced
Green onions diced
Hoisin Sauce(Get the brand Lee Kum Kee)
Siracha

Place beef bones in 8 quart pot and cover with water, you can use chicken broth also. Set temp to a simmer. Take onion and ginger and burn it (see picture below). You can burn in the oven, in a pan or straight to the stove fire. When the broth is clear and you have cleared foam from top place onion, ginger, pho packet, rock sugar and fish sauce in pot. Let simmer on low for about four hours. My mom will simmer hers for 2 days off and on but 4 hours is good. Boil Rice noodles while soup is simmering according to the direction s on the packet. I would undercook the noodles about 2 minutes. When you serve the soup the hot broth will cook them a little. You don't want mushy noodles.

Once 4 hours is up place chicken in and cook til done. Make sure you skim all the foam from the top so the broth is nice and clear. When chicken is done pull chicken off the bone. Place noodles in a bowl with chicken and thnly sliced steak.Pour hot pho broth on top, the hot broth will cook the steak. Garnish with toppins and hosin sauce and hot sauce. What ever your taste prefers.

Tips:
1. You can buy pho packets at an Asian store. If you don't have one around you can gather all the ingredients and place in a cloth bag:

1 cinnamon stick
1 tbl coriander seeds
1 tbl fennel seeds
5 whole star anise
1 cardamom pod
6 whole cloves

2. If you can't find beef bones in the meat section you can ask butcher to get you some in the back and have him cut them up.

3. If your feeding young kids or babies. Cut the noodles in the bowl with scissors. Much easier then a knife and cutting board!

4. ALWAYS adjust to your taste. Everyone is different :)