Pho noodles
Summary:
Pho is considered as the national dish of Vietnam, and it has captured the fascination of so many people in the west because of its deceptive simplicity and its complex flavors. Pho is the perfect comfort food – warm, hearty and deliciously refreshing. In Vietnam it’s the common people’s food. It’s Vietnamese street food.
Details:
Pho’s origin:
Pho was born in Northern Vietnam during the mid-1880s. The dish was heavily influenced by both Chinese and French cooking. Rice noodle and spices were imported from China; the French popularized the eating of red meat.
The popularity of pho spread southwards starting in 1954 when the country was divided into North and South Vietnam. As the dish moved south, cooks infused it with additional ingredients until it evolved into the version that is commonly served today.
Pho flourished, and due to its versatility and popularity, Vietnamese eat pho everyday, at any time during the day. Pho vendors do business everywhere, from pushcarts to neighborhood street stalls, from pho restaurants to elegant bistros. But most importantly, pho is the food of the working people.
Differences of Pho from the North and the South:
Pho of the North has an intense and delicate flavor that is entirely different from pho of the south. The focus of pho of the North is on the taste of its clear and simple broth. The star anise and other spices commonly used in pho serve as subtle undertones of flavor rather than complex layers. The main ingredients in Pho of the North are the rice noodles and the thinly sliced rare beef cooked quickly in the hot broth. You would not find a bowl of Pho of the North topped with the popular herbs and garnishing found in Pho of the South.
Unlike in North Vietnam, food is rich and abundant in South Vietnam. Herbs and other ingredients are used liberally. They put more spices in their pho than their northern counterparts. They experimented with other beef parts, and even used other ingredients such as chicken and tripe. They added bean sprouts and herb garnishing as topping on the soup. They were also very liberal about the use of fish sauce and hoisin sauce to flavor their pho.
How to cook Pho:
If you had a chance to visit Vietnam or tasted Pho Noodle, you will never forget its flavor. No need to go to restaurant, wherever you live with the ingredients which are easy to find, you also can create one of spectacular Vietnamese Pho to treat your family and friends. This is an authentic way for how to cook and eat this spectacular dish.
Ingredients:
- 1kg of bone tube (beef leg bone)
- 500gr beef meat
- 500gr Pho noodle
- 30-50g sliced ginger
- 1-3 onions, grilled, peeled of the cover
- 1 star anise, aromatic grilled or roasted.
- 1-2 cardamom, aromatic baked or roasted
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick long-range 10-15cm.
- Fish sauce, salt, yellow rock sugar, spices
Process:
Clean bones: bone crushed pipe or sawing, cutting into part, skip marrow and soaked in salt water and vinegar for at least 1-2 hours. Put them in a saucepan filled with water, add 1 teaspoon of salt (15gr), simmering boil for 3 minutes, then rinse.
Step1: Boil 3 liters of water to the pot, bring to boil, add 1 teaspoon spice, turn down the heat and put down the bones into pot.
Cook in small heat, occasionally skim foam rise and add boiling water. After 5-6 hours, turn off the stove, use a basket or open up.
Step 2: Put two tablespoons of fish sauce in the pot of bone, under medium heat until boiling, and then reduce heat, small at 80- 90 degree. Next you add all ingredients for broth into pot: sliced ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom and onion.
Step 3: Wash beef meat and slice it. After two hours, add the spices, sugar, salt to taste, and medium heat for 15-30 minutes, skim foam emerged because of the spices also have impurities.
I winter, you can give more cinnamon and ginger to create a warm feeling for pho. Picked ginger and filtered water.
Step 4: Boil the water, and then put Pho noodle into pot to clean about 3 minutes. After that, throw away water, pour Pho noodle into basket. Take enough amount of Pho noodle for each bowl; put some sliced beef on the face of noodle.
Now, you finished one of popular Vietnamese Pho Recipes. Serve this Pho with vegetables like saw tooth herb, rice paddy herb, cilantro, bean sprouts, lime, chili and black sauce.
Hope you cook this dish successfully. Enjoy this dish now. And do not miss this dish when you have a chance to visit our beautiful country
