If you travel to South East Asia you will see people eating pho everywhere you go. It is street food at its best. Pho is cooked in a wok sitting on a little burners or small fires contained within a clay pot. Pho contains a good stock, some fish sauce and lime or tamarind juice and lots of fragrant, soothing herbs such as lemongrass, coriander and ginger. A small amount of fish or meat is added along with a variety of vegetables depending on the season. The trick is to get the balance of salty, acidic and sweet flavours right with a kick of chili if you like it. So it is very important to taste the pho before you serve it.
I visited Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam in 2010 and when I returned home I learned how to make pho. It is a quick, light meal packed with flavour.
This recipe is a lighter version of the traditional Vietnamese beef pho in a wonderful lemon grass mint, coriander and lime broth. It is a nutritious, balanced meal and can be adapted to suit you by leaving out any foods that you do not like.
Ready cooked chicken marinaded in oriental flavours like lemon grass and ginger can be a short cut. I have to confess I have used a delicious pre marinaded chicken in lemongrass and ginger from Marks and Spencer in one version. It worked well and is fine if you are in a rush.
Chicken noodle pho
Serves 2
Ingredients
- 150g rice noodles
- 150g fresh chicken or, cooked marinated oriental flavoured chicken
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp red chilli, chopped
- 2cm length lemon grass, chopped finely
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil e.g. rapeseed oil
- 4 spring onions, finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, seeds removed and finely sliced
- 50g shitake mushrooms
- 700ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- pinch soft brown sugar
- juice from 1/2 lime
- 150g mixed vegetables such as finely sliced pak choi, julienne carrots, bean sprouts, broccoli
- soy sauce, to taste
- 2 tbsp chopped coriander, fresh mint and chives
Method
Bring approximately 1 litre of water to the boil and add the noodles. Cook for five minutes, drain and refresh under cold water to stop them cooking. Put to one side. Use the hot water to make the stock.
Slice the chicken and place in a small bowl with the grated ginger, lemon grass and 1 tbsp oil. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and mix well. Set on one side and prepare the stock and vegetables for the pho.
Pour a little oil in a wok or large saucepan and gently cook the chicken pieces for 5 minutes until just beginning to colour. (If you are used precooked chicken add this to the wok or pan now). Add the spring onion, garlic and red pepper slices and cook for a couple of minutes until soft. Pour the vegetable stock, fish sauce, pinch of sugar and lime juice into the wok (or saucepan) and bring to a simmer. Add the vegetables and cook for about 8 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Four minutes before you are due to serve the pho add the noodles to the wok to reheat. Season with soy sauce and salt and pepper and stir well. Serve the pho in bowls scattered with fresh herbs.
Photos below.......eating pho in South East Asia....Joan x
Ingredients for pho: turmeric, ginseng, lemongrass and kaffir lime. Rice noodles. Young girl eating pho on the street in Phnom Pen, Cambodia. Man eating pho on the street in Hanoe, Vietnam