Pho Ga (Vietnamese Flat Noodle in Chicken Broth )

While the nation is still under the Movement Confinement Order "MCO", life carries on so why bother stopping. Put on the apron and let's cook some Pho.

To learn a new dish, its important to understand the food culture behind. Vietnamese food has some French touches due to historical colonization. The geographical attributes lead to fertile land which bare fruits of many delightful local ingredients. Since a part of the culinary inherits from the Fench, therefore making Vietnamese food has a focus on the richness of taste. Pho Tai -- Flat rice noodle with beef broth, is one of the signature food.

For the broth (serves 4)
1kg Chicken bones (beef bones)
100g Ginger, spring onion, celery, and carrot
50g Onion, Shallot, and garlic
5g Anise, clove, cinnamon stick, bay leaf
25g Brown sugar
Salt, sugar, to taste

Procedure:

1. Roast the chicken bones in oven at 160°C for 45-60 minutes until golden brown.

2. Add the vegetable ingredient with the bones, roast for another 30°C until vegetables are slightly charred.

3. Put the roasted bones and vegetables into a fresh stockpot with the spices and sugar. Fill with 5L of cold water. (The finished broth will be around 2L)

4. Bring to boil over high temperature. When the stock begins to boil, simmer to as low heat as possible. (This helps to produce a clarified broth). Skim of the impurities that float on top, these are the blood proteins that fall off from the meat and will make the broth cloudy. Simmer for 3 hours.

5. Season to taste accordingly. Strain of all solid ingredients leaving only the broth. If you want to produce a high clarity broth, chill down the broth before straining.

For garnish (serves 4)
500g Pho noodles
500g chicken breast meat
200g fish cake (optional)
100g onion, thinly sliced
100g Vietnam coriander, sweet basil, mint, thinly chopped (any two of these is fine)
50g bean sprouts, head and tail trimmed off
1 wedge of lime
Hoisin sauce, Sriracha chili sauce (on side)
Chili paddy or Chili flakes (optional)

Procedure
1. Cook the chicken breast in the broth. Shred the meat into thin strips.
2. Poach the noodles in boiling water, the noodle cook under 10 seconds.
3. Assemble every garnish ingredients in a bowl, serve with hot broth.

Et voila, bon appetit.


ZF


#homecooking #vietnam #phoga #bonappetit