Pho!
I’m still using my homemade bone broth for this recipe!
Do you know how to pronounce Pho correctly? At first, I always pronounce it “fo”. My ex-boyfriend, Michael, taught me how to pronounce it correctly. He is an American-Asian man, and Pho is one of his favorite food. I was so excited when I told him I went to a new restaurant in town, a Vietnam restaurant. And I ordered their best menu — fo. Michael was confused and in a split-second and he laughed at me. “It’s fə̃ː or fa, babe.”
From that time, I never pronounce it “fo” anymore. Thank you, Michael!
Pho was originated in Northern Vietnam during the mid-1880s (another source said it was originated in the early 20th century). This dish was influenced by both Chinese and French culture. Pho has a strong, exotic flavor. For me, it’s like having a meal and a glass of water in one bite: you get the savory but also feel refreshed from the broth. And every time I eat Pho, it reminds me of Michael! Seems like not only music will bring back the memories! 😂
Ingredients:
- Rice noodle
- Coriander leaves
- Beef slice (I use the same beef slice for sukiyaki)
- Chili
- Onion, thinly sliced
- Lime
- Bean sprout
For the soup, you need:
- Bone broth (you can use beef bone broth or chicken broth, but I use beef bone broth)
- 2 medium-size star anise
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cloves
- Half onion, dice it
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (you can add more)
How to make it:
- Soak the rice noodle in room temperature water for 45 minutes. While waiting for the rice noodle, we can move on to the broth.
- I won’t write how to make basic broth recipe in here, you can check it here: https://medium.com/the-cookbook-for-all/bone-broth-9820dc4c3cf5.
- Put all herbs (star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves) and diced onion into the broth. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Since we already cooked the bone broth for more than 8 hours, let them simmer for 20 minutes. Don’t boil the herbs for too long because the taste will give extra strong taste and somehow it will taste like Chinese traditional medicine — and I don’t like it.
- Don’t forget to add fish sauce, but don’t add too much fish sauce. You will regret it because fish sauce is salty as hell. No, just kidding. Not that salty though. But you have to add it gradually until you think it suits your taste.
- After 45 minutes, place the rice noodle into boiling water for 1–2 minutes.
- Place the rice noodle into the serving bowls, top it with beef slices, cilantro, thin slices of onion, bean sprouts, and if you want to taste a bit spicy, add some chili on it.
- Pour hot broth over the top, and Pho is ready to be served. :)
- And oh! Don’t forget about the lime. Squeeze the lime to get a tangy refreshing taste.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy? I actually cook dishes from different countries every week. You can suggest me to cook any other dishes. Just send me a message about what kind of dishes you want me to try. I will post it later!
