If you want to make an authentic Vietnamese pho, you’re looking at a long time in the kitchen.
You will need to cook meat, and bone, in broth for up to 3 hours. After you’ve prepared everything else the time can run to 4 or 5 hours total.
Don’t want to spend that long? No worries. My daughter-in-law, Nockie, recommends this chicken pho recipe.
Pho Ga Vietnamese Chicken Soup
Ingredients
* 1 cup rice noodles
* 1 1/2 cups snow peas, ends trimmed
* 1 cup shredded carrots
* 1 piece ginger (1/2 inch thick), peeled and chopped
* 1 star anise
* 3 whole cloves
* 8 cups chicken broth
* 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into fine strips
* 1 capsicum (red bell pepper), cored, seeded and cut into thin strips
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Method – How to Prepare Pho Ga
* Make a little sachet of ginger, star anise and cloves in a piece of cheesecloth;
* Bring a pot of lightly salted water to boil. Add the rice boodles for 3 minutes.
* Put the carrots and snowpeas into a colander; and then drain the rice noodles over them. Rinse to stop them cooking.
* Make up a large pot with the chicken broth.
* Add the sachet, bring the pot to the boil and cook on high heat for 5 minutes.
* Lower the heat to medium; add the chicken strips; and simmer 5 minutes.
* Drop in the capsicum slices and lime juice. Give it a very quick swoosh with a spoon and take the pot off the heat.
* Remove sachet.
* Ladle into 4 bowls; drop in the noodles, snowpeas and carrots.
* Garnish with the coriander and basil. Add a wedge of lime to each bowl
Garnish for Pho Ga