Let me be humbly clear that this is not a guide to make the best Pho--a culinary feat that calls for no less than an artistic understanding of this dish. Rather, this is a guide to make the best Pho at home, with convenience and simplicity in mind. But rest assured, if the result tastes good enough to soothe the hearts and stomachs of a bunch of homesick study abroad students (like my friends and me), it will surely satisfy you. It is also slightly cheaper than Pho in restaurants, if you care about the costs.
I am a very judgmental eater-- so trust me, it is worth it.
1. Broth
Making the broth is the hardest part, and it either makes or breaks your Pho. Traditionally, it takes hours of simmering with carefully selected cow bones (or cow tails) and other spices whose proportion is a family secret. Not having such luxury, we will have to cheat by using pre-packaged Pho spice, which gives surprisingly decent results.
Here is a Pho mix I found on the internet. I use Pho mix brought from home, so I cannot vouch for this one, but it seems decent.
The recipe then becomes really simple: - Broil onions, ginger in oven (350 F in 20 minutes), or as I preferred, charred on open fire (or stove). - Put a pot of water on the stove. When it is boiling lightly, add the Pho mix. - Slightly after, add charred onions, ginger, star anises, cinnamon. (It’s easy to go overboard with the spices, so be a little conservative your first time. If you are cooking for 3-4 people, you need no more than a few cloves of star anises. Taste the broth and adjust for a subtle, ephemeral scent.) - Let the broth boil heavily.
You can, of course, add cow bones or tails in the broth for a more authentic taste. But the simmering process will take longer, and worse, you have to do a few tricks to ensure that the broth is clear and not adulterated with all the fat and impurities from the bones. So my recommendation is to just go with the packaged mix.
2. Pho noodle
- Let the dry noodle sit in warm water for 15 minutes, or until it looks like the noodles you have in restaurant. It’s really simple, use your common sense.
Here is how a package of dry noodle looks like.
As a college kid, I have always used dry noodles for storage convenience. But if you buy fresh noodles, here is an article on how to handle it. How to prepare Banh Pho
3. Toppings
Pho connoisseur makes a fuss about what kind of beef you should use. I find that the generic beef chunk in supermarket comes close to what I had at home, so why bother? Just buy one of those big chunk and slice it very thinly. (A good knife helps tremendously). The meat should be so thin that it can be medium-done just by sitting in the boiling water for a few seconds.
(Michaelthe) Freeze it for an hour or two to let it firm up. You dont want it to be frozen solid, but to be pretty chilled. Makes slicing a lot easier. (Quochobao) How to sharpen your knife at home with a ceramic bowl. Works like a charm!
Here is a list of more adventurous meat option, graciously provided by Darkchylde:
Tái- Eye of Round Beef (Some places in Cali have been known to use filet) Chín - Well-done Brisket Gầu - Fatty Brisket Nạm - Well-Done Flank Ve Don - Skirt Flank Gân - Beef Tendon Sách - Beef Tripe Bò Viên - Beef Meatballs Gà - Chicken
(Without the accents, Phở "Ve don" seems unintelligible to me...I did a google search and it seems to be quite popular in the States however. Someone please enlightens us.)
- Main toppings: sliced beef, bean sprouts (See end notes for a complete list of meat choice) - Other toppings (use more lightly): coriander, scallions (sliced vertically for a resemblance of gourmet pho)
Put the soaked noodles at bottom, toppings on top, pour boiling broth over—and you are all set!
If you want your meat less rare, soak the meat in the boiling broth for a few seconds before putting it in the bowl. You can also squeeze some lime in, or serve with chili sauce.
A personal anecdote on serving Pho with chili sauce: + Show Spoiler +
When I was young, being manly to enough to eat Pho with chili sauce was a sorta rite of passage, so I used to put in so much chili that the entire bowl is red hot. Now that my manliness is already confirmed multiple times and in numerous other ways, I personally find eating Pho with chili sauce a bit silly. It desensitizes your taste buds to the thick sweetness of the broth and the subtle scent of the spices. Plus, when you come close to finishing your Pho--also when the broth is sweetest after having toppings soaked in it the entire time--the chili often makes it too hot to enjoy those last precious drops.
But your choice anyhow.
It will take you a mere 2 times to get the right amount and proportion of spices. From then on it becomes really straightforward. Have fun cooking!
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
Thanks alot, looks good and I'll try to cook it soon. I am very much into thai cuisine but I've wanted to explore vietnamese for some time now. I hear there's a lot of dishes with great amounts of fresh spices, which sounds enhtrilling.
On June 06 2011 18:53 Quanbsn wrote: hey bro, do u know how to find "gầu" in US? i really miss that one...
That depends on where you live :D If you live in California, I would presume that you can just go out to Vietnamese market and ask for exactly that. They have everything Vietnamese in California, lmao.
If you live on upstate NY like I do, perhaps we are out of luck...
Oh my god. You actually made a whole guide. You're my hero, Quochobao ^_^
You're very welcome! I just really enjoy cooking, and I'm very happy that people love Pho so much. So this is just a little gift for us like-minded (like-stomached?) people ^^
Do you have some other recommendations for me?
Together with Pho, Nem (spring rolls) and Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) make the trio that seems to captivate most diners outside of Vietnam. I recommend Nem, because it is more sophisticated than Banh Mi, and also because it gracefully introduces you to Nuoc Mam (fish sauce), which is so essential in Vietnamese cuisine.
Nem is essentially a fried roll, with rice-based wrap on the outside, and a varied mixture of meat, bean sprouts, wood ears, diced onions, sometimes diced carrots and shrimps, and eggs (for cohesion) inside. It is then served with a sauce made of fish sauce, vinegar, garlic, a pinch of sugar, and water. The list of ingredients is the same everywhere, but to get the right proportion is a truly masterful act.
The test of skill is also how you make the roll--how tight, uniform, and graceful a new bride can make her rolls is (once upon a time) an quintessential household skills. But girls these days...this is sadness.
those yellow stick thingies actually go very well with many kinds of soup and some porridge too
Very true! I like to dip those yellow sticks ever so slightly into Pho/porridge so that they carry the taste of the broth while remaining crunchy. Others prefer to really soak them in the broth--meh, I don't like them soggy.
Just wanna emphasize how important the broth is, as I tried to make pho and not having any 'authentic' broth mix made it taste horrible (I used some generic beef broth I think).
Dude, I live in San Jose and there are tons of Pho places all over, and it is so delicious. I would love to try this out sometime and make it myself (even though i'm a horrible cook =O)
On June 06 2011 19:35 KimJongChill wrote: Just wanna emphasize how important the broth is, as I tried to make pho and not having any 'authentic' broth mix made it taste horrible (I used some generic beef broth I think).
Yup, we need the special Pho mix. It includes not only beef broth, but also a variety of spices. And then, of course, the proportion of those spices matters greatly.
I would translate "Banh mi" to "bread", not "sandwich".
True, but in the States they do call it Vietnamese sandwich on the menu. Plus, when we refer to Banh Mi in Vietnam, we really mean Banh mi kep, right.
Otherwise, the plain banh mi is simply a serious rip off from the French lolz. It is identical to a kind of bread that a Frenchman proudly "introduced" to me as his country's delicacy.
On June 06 2011 19:42 LoLAdriankat wrote: This'll hold me over until I marry a Vietnamese woman who will cook me pho everyday. :3
Believe me, having Pho everyday will not be a pleasure experience, lol. Whats up with all the Pho thread in General forum O_O.
And well, for making real soup for Pho is a very long process, this OP is just a very simple, quick and will make your Pho smell somewhat like the real deal but actually quite far from it.
On June 06 2011 23:51 besiger wrote: looks awesome, too bad I probably couldnt find the mix here.
LOL Croatia hahaah. Yeah chances are slim pho you.
if you are really desperate to try it, you can always not use the mix and.... make the broth yourself. that being said, if you can't get the mix, it's most likely you won't be able to acquire the rice noodles ;p
On June 06 2011 23:51 besiger wrote: looks awesome, too bad I probably couldnt find the mix here.
LOL Croatia hahaah. Yeah chances are slim pho you.
if you are really desperate to try it, you can always not use the mix and.... make the broth yourself. that being said, if you can't get the mix, it's most likely you won't be able to acquire the rice noodles ;p
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
known as cha quay to some/me used in rice porrige/soup
you will have easier time finding the Chinese one so the pronunciation wont be the same^
The quality of the meat is extremely important if you're doing it the traditional way. If you do it right you'll have a really awesome bowl of pho. With fresh herbs the aroma will make you drool haha.
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
known as cha quay to some/me used in rice porrige/soup
you will have easier time finding the Chinese one so the pronunciation wont be the same^
The Chinese ones may look similar but they are very soft and more oily, Vietnamese ones are cripsy and go really well with Pho or any soup.
On June 06 2011 23:51 besiger wrote: looks awesome, too bad I probably couldnt find the mix here.
Just a few additions that the guide missed out on:
The pho mix is just a Vietnamese version of beef bouillon (aka a shortcut to make a beef stock/soup). You can do it the harder way and boil beef bones to start your stock or just use the cubes or canned beef broth. Then add the spices to finish your broth. A few other things to mention are that traditionally pho is eaten with fresh herbs. If you are able to find them, try eating it with Thai basil and sawtooth coriander. Also there are many different and adventurous meat options:
Tai- Eye of Round Beef (Some places in Cali have been known to use filet) Chin - Well-done Brisket Gau - Fatty Brisket Nam - Well-Done Flank Ve Don - Skirt Flank Gan - Beef Tendon Sach - Beef Tripe Bo Vien - Beef Meatballs Ga - Chicken (Don't know the accents as my written Vietnamese sucks)
Seasonings to doctor it up are sriracha (spicy), hoisin (sweet), fish sauce (salty), and lime (sour).
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
known as cha quay to some/me used in rice porrige/soup
you will have easier time finding the Chinese one so the pronunciation wont be the same^
Just call it Chinese Donut. You can find it at Chinese restaurants.
Crap, I want some now. Greasy fried crispy deliciousness.
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
known as cha quay to some/me used in rice porrige/soup
you will have easier time finding the Chinese one so the pronunciation wont be the same^
Just call it Chinese Donut.
Crap, I want some now. Greasy fried crispy deliciousness.
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
known as cha quay to some/me used in rice porrige/soup
you will have easier time finding the Chinese one so the pronunciation wont be the same^
Just call it Chinese Donut.
Crap, I want some now. Greasy fried crispy deliciousness.
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
known as cha quay to some/me used in rice porrige/soup
you will have easier time finding the Chinese one so the pronunciation wont be the same^
Just call it Chinese Donut.
Crap, I want some now. Greasy fried crispy deliciousness.
Yu Tiao.... I want some..... dammit....
Dude. So good.
That in rice porridge is like godly
Pho- Pro-Easy to make, taste great, awesome, affordable. Con-Can't think of any
On June 06 2011 23:51 besiger wrote: looks awesome, too bad I probably couldnt find the mix here.
Just a few additions that the guide missed out on:
The pho mix is just a Vietnamese version of beef bouillon (aka a shortcut to make a beef stock/soup). You can do it the harder way and boil beef bones to start your stock or just use the cubes or canned beef broth. Then add the spices to finish your broth. A few other things to mention are that traditionally pho is eaten with fresh herbs. If you are able to find them, try eating it with Thai basil and sawtooth coriander. Also there are many different and adventurous meat options:
Tai- Eye of Round Beef (Some places in Cali have been known to use filet) Chin - Well-done Brisket Gau - Fatty Brisket Nam - Well-Done Flank Ve Don - Skirt Flank Gan - Beef Tendon Sach - Beef Tripe Bo Vien - Beef Meatballs Ga - Chicken (Don't know the accents as my written Vietnamese sucks)
Seasonings to doctor it up are sriracha (spicy), hoisin (sweet), fish sauce (salty), and lime (sour).
Hey do you mind if I add your list of meat in the OP? :D I am not very well-versed in the English terminology of all the cow parts so this is precious :D
if you use cow bones for the soup, the bone marrow is the most decadent rich topping you can have with your pho. try it and you'll never want to have restaurant pho again.
Dang man! thanks! can you also give specific brands so i can get my dad to make some for me?
Also, if anyone knows how to make those delicious egg rolls served in the restaurants, please make a detailed guide on making them! THANK YOU SO MUCH :D
I've made pho before using my mom's recipe (shamelessly copy and pasted to here - Thanks mom!) This is really for people who are looking for slightly more precise measurements and making the broth without the mix (but some of these ingredients are flexible depending on your taste):
* 1 pounds Oxtails; cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces; or 2 beef shanks, or 2 beef bones (preferably beef marrow or knuckle bones * 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced (optional) * 1 large onion, peeled and halved; or 1 shallot, peeled * 3 tablespoons fish sauce * 3 whole star anise * 5 whole cloves * 2 2-inch cinnamon sticks * 1 teaspoon mushroom powder * 1 teaspoon sugar or rock sugar * 1 tablespoon kosher salt or sea salt
If you have time, you can toast cloves and star anise
For the garnish:
* 1 pound 1/4-inch rice noodles * 2 bunches scallions, sliced thin * 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped * 3 large limes, cut into wedges and seeds removed (optional) * Red chile paste or sliced fresh hot chilies (optional) * 3/4 pounds filet mignon, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin * Thai basil (optional) * Finely chopped ginger
1) soak bones or oxtails in water for at least 30 mins to an hour
2) drain
3) Put beef bone/oxtails into a large stockpot and add enough water to cover the bones by 4 inches. Bring to a full boil and then lower the heat to a rapid simmer. Skim the scum that rises to the surface.
4) Cut the ginger into 3 pieces and toss it and the onion halves into the simmering broth, along with 1 tablespoon salt, mushroom powder, sugar and the fish sauce.
5) Put cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise in a small cheesecloth and tie the bundle
6) Add the spice bundle to the broth
7) Let the broth simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally. After 2-3 hours, remove the spice bundle
8) Taste the broth and add more salt or fish sauce as needed. Add small portion at a time to ensure it's not too salty.
9) Just before serving, return the broth to a full boil. Arrange the slices of raw filet and pieces of cooked oxtail meat over the noodles in each bowl. Carefully ladle the boiling broth over all; the raw beef should be submerged in the broth. Sprinkle chopped green onion and cilantro and and tiny bit of chopped ginger. Sprinkle some black pepper. Voila! Your dinner is ready.
The fish sauce that I use can be found at vietnamese supermarket and looks like this:
I have to emphasize that the steps involving skimming the "scum" as well as tasting the broth and adding fish sauce/salt are very important. Skimming the scum prevents the broth from getting too dark and nasty. If you follow the recipe straight up it might be a little bland until you add a little more fish sauce & salt, but it's all up to your personal taste. Props to the OP for making this thread... it's definitely making me hungry
On June 07 2011 09:37 cdpham wrote: I've made pho before using my mom's recipe (shamelessly copy and pasted from here - Thanks mom!) This is really for people who are looking for slightly more precise measurements and making the broth without the mix (but some of these ingredients are flexible depending on your taste):
* 1 pounds Oxtails; cut into 1 1/2 to 2-inch pieces; or 2 beef shanks, or 2 beef bones (preferably beef marrow or knuckle bones * 3-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced (optional) * 1 large onion, peeled and halved; or 1 shallot, peeled * 3 tablespoons fish sauce * 3 whole star anise * 5 whole cloves * 2 2-inch cinnamon sticks * 1 teaspoon mushroom powder * 1 teaspoon sugar or rock sugar * 1 tablespoon kosher salt or sea salt
If you have time, you can toast cloves and star anise
For the garnish:
* 1 pound 1/4-inch rice noodles * 2 bunches scallions, sliced thin * 1/2 cup tightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped * 3 large limes, cut into wedges and seeds removed (optional) * Red chile paste or sliced fresh hot chilies (optional) * 3/4 pounds filet mignon, trimmed of fat and sliced very thin * Thai basil (optional) * Finely chopped ginger
1) soak bones or oxtails in water for at least 30 mins to an hour
2) drain
3) Put beef bone/oxtails into a large stockpot and add enough water to cover the bones by 4 inches. Bring to a full boil and then lower the heat to a rapid simmer. Skim the scum that rises to the surface.
4) Cut the ginger into 3 pieces and toss it and the onion halves into the simmering broth, along with 1 tablespoon salt, mushroom powder, sugar and the fish sauce.
5) Put cinnamon sticks, cloves, and star anise in a small cheesecloth and tie the bundle
6) Add the spice bundle to the broth
7) Let the broth simmer, uncovered, skimming occasionally. After 2-3 hours, remove the spice bundle
8) Taste the broth and add more salt or fish sauce as needed. Add small portion at a time to ensure it's not too salty.
9) Just before serving, return the broth to a full boil. Arrange the slices of raw filet and pieces of cooked oxtail meat over the noodles in each bowl. Carefully ladle the boiling broth over all; the raw beef should be submerged in the broth. Sprinkle chopped green onion and cilantro and and tiny bit of chopped ginger. Sprinkle some black pepper. Voila! Your dinner is ready.
The fish sauce that I use can be found at vietnamese supermarket and looks like this:
I have to emphasize that the steps involving skimming the "scum" as well as tasting the broth and adding fish sauce/salt are very important. Skimming the scum prevents the broth from getting too dark and nasty. If you follow the recipe straight up it might be a little bland until you add a little more fish sauce & salt, but it's all up to your personal taste. Props to the OP for making this thread... it's definitely making me hungry
On June 06 2011 23:51 besiger wrote: looks awesome, too bad I probably couldnt find the mix here.
Just a few additions that the guide missed out on:
The pho mix is just a Vietnamese version of beef bouillon (aka a shortcut to make a beef stock/soup). You can do it the harder way and boil beef bones to start your stock or just use the cubes or canned beef broth. Then add the spices to finish your broth. A few other things to mention are that traditionally pho is eaten with fresh herbs. If you are able to find them, try eating it with Thai basil and sawtooth coriander. Also there are many different and adventurous meat options:
Tai- Eye of Round Beef (Some places in Cali have been known to use filet) Chin - Well-done Brisket Gau - Fatty Brisket Nam - Well-Done Flank Ve Don - Skirt Flank Gan - Beef Tendon Sach - Beef Tripe Bo Vien - Beef Meatballs Ga - Chicken (Don't know the accents as my written Vietnamese sucks)
Seasonings to doctor it up are sriracha (spicy), hoisin (sweet), fish sauce (salty), and lime (sour).
Hey do you mind if I add your list of meat in the OP? :D I am not very well-versed in the English terminology of all the cow parts so this is precious :D
On June 06 2011 18:28 Quochobao wrote: I use Pho mix brought from home, so I cannot vouch for this one, but it seems decent.
My sister just moved and gave me all of her food stuffs and this was in there. I totally forgot about it, and just watched the "food porn" in the other thread and then came here and remembered I have this...
Does it need to be refrigerated? Mine is just sitting out...
Also, a tip for slicing beef: Freeze it for an hour or two to let it firm up. You dont want it to be frozen solid, but to be pretty chilled. Makes slicing a lot easier.
On June 06 2011 18:28 Quochobao wrote: I use Pho mix brought from home, so I cannot vouch for this one, but it seems decent.
My sister just moved and gave me all of her food stuffs and this was in there. I totally forgot about it, and just watched the "food porn" in the other thread and then came here and remembered I have this...
Does it need to be refrigerated? Mine is just sitting out...
Also, a tip for slicing beef: Freeze it for an hour or two to let it firm up. You dont want it to be frozen solid, but to be pretty chilled. Makes slicing a lot easier.
Lucky you, lolz. Nah, it does not need to be refrigerated.
And yes, that is a good tip for most of us who only have mediocre knives. Chilled beef chunk takes a little more force to slice through, but much more precise.
You can always sharpen your knife by pressing the blade against the bottom of a ceramic bowl, and then moves the blade ....
From there the players (MC LosirA and MMA) were pretty overwhelmed by the number of choices there. I ran into a starcraft 2 team who convened there for lunch and one of them (Peter) recommended a few places and the players liked the Pho place and so the players ate Pho and some spring rolls and grabbed Jeni's Ice cream (for LosirA and myself), Vitamin Water (for MMA) and Diet Coke (MC). We head back in time for the fanmeeting. Wax got his forehead signed by Moon during the fan meeting o_o;
Oh yeah baby! MC Losira and MMA eating Pho at MLG!!!!!!!!
On June 06 2011 18:28 Quochobao wrote: I use Pho mix brought from home, so I cannot vouch for this one, but it seems decent.
My sister just moved and gave me all of her food stuffs and this was in there. I totally forgot about it, and just watched the "food porn" in the other thread and then came here and remembered I have this...
Does it need to be refrigerated? Mine is just sitting out...
Also, a tip for slicing beef: Freeze it for an hour or two to let it firm up. You dont want it to be frozen solid, but to be pretty chilled. Makes slicing a lot easier.
Lucky you, lolz. Nah, it does not need to be refrigerated.
And yes, that is a good tip for most of us who only have mediocre knives. Chilled beef chunk takes a little more force to slice through, but much more precise.
You can always sharpen your knife by pressing the blade against the bottom of a ceramic bowl, and then moves the blade ....
On June 07 2011 19:10 GGitsJack wrote: Could you use the beef used in "Hot Pots" 火锅 (don't know the English name) since you're looking for thin slices of beef?
Just thought that might be much easier to prepare.
Technically it's fine, even though if you are a traditionalist (like me), that kind of meat with fat in between is quite rarely used for Pho ^_^
For hot pot though it is godly--I still remember the first time I had sabu sabu... Oh man...
So all I have is Beef Broth for regular cooking, no Pho mix because I live in a very small town not anywhere near a major city. Is it ok if I just use the regular Beef Broth?
On June 19 2011 09:14 cccalf wrote: My method, which I believe to be the most effective one for making homemade pho, is having a Vietnamese wife. ;D@
Yeah right. GL with that. I'm having trouble finding girls who can make Pho even in Vietnam. Seriously what has the world become. (Recent PvZ is a good analogy.)
On June 19 2011 04:11 PerkyPenguin wrote: So all I have is Beef Broth for regular cooking, no Pho mix because I live in a very small town not anywhere near a major city. Is it ok if I just use the regular Beef Broth?
Like someone said earlier, regular beef broth will taste horrible. I included a link where you can buy the mix online in the OP. Check it out.
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
You can find that in chinese restaurants... and some shops in HK...
they usually give it to you with porridge ( rice+water )
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
You can find that in chinese restaurants... and some shops in HK...
they usually give it to you with porridge ( rice+water )
I finally found out the name of it :O \o/
Havent seen those with pho yet but mainly with Porridge at chinese bakeries/restaurants
P/S: This is called Quẩy, which is to Pho like crackers is to soup, only more essential and infinitely more fitting. It is so common in Vietnam--a bowl of Pho invariably comes with this flour-based, fried snack--yet I have not been to any restaurant in the States that has it. It is a puzzle that vexes me so much I'm gonna make my own Quẩy next time ^^
You can find that in chinese restaurants... and some shops in HK...
they usually give it to you with porridge ( rice+water )
lol.. do note... that thing has a lot of oil in it I've never seen it with pho, but I've seen it with other soup related meals though
I finally found out the name of it :O \o/
Havent seen those with pho yet but mainly with Porridge at chinese bakeries/restaurants
you can generally find the yellow sticks (in chinese "you tiao") in many larger chinese supermarkets. They will generally have them in a bakeryish area. Alternatively you can just bring a picture and ask where they are haha
they go great with sweet soy milk too. My breakfast in China was pretty much 2x you tiao + bowl of warm sweet soy milk (all for like 5-6 yuan)
That bowl of pho at the end looked so delicious, wow. I had it for my first time a few weeks ago and it was incredible, I feel like I've been really missing out. I also love to cook so I look forward to the challenge. Thank you so much for writing this out, if my dish looks anything like your picture I think I will have gone to heaven
On June 19 2011 11:05 FragKrag wrote: you can generally find the yellow sticks (in chinese "you tiao") in many larger chinese supermarkets. They will generally have them in a bakeryish area. Alternatively you can just bring a picture and ask where they are haha
they go great with sweet soy milk too. My breakfast in China was pretty much 2x you tiao + bowl of warm sweet soy milk (all for like 5-6 yuan)
definitely going to try this out too
I just recently had this yellow sticks that you guys mentioned, but no, it's not exactly what I mean.
The Chinese you tiao is soft, whereas Vietnamese Quay is crunch. The dough seems to be the same, but the crunchiness of Quay is just so irreplaceable that anything else in its place seems sacrilegious.
It's realllllly a big puzzle to me why Vietnamese restaurants don't make Quay. They make you tiao after all like you said.
Quẩy is mostly used for congee. Never had coriander with Pho before but make sure to have the basil look a like that you find in asian groceries (it might be basil lolol), noob mistake if you eat pho without it.
Btw eating pho in the restaurants is not the same once you've had home made brooth. You have been warned
Is there a chance that someone would share their familys secret pho broth recipe with me? I have some free time coming up and wouldnt mind using a day to make some killer pho.
On June 19 2011 09:14 cccalf wrote: My method, which I believe to be the most effective one for making homemade pho, is having a Vietnamese wife. ;D@
Yeah right. GL with that. I'm having trouble finding girls who can make Pho even in Vietnam. Seriously what has the world become. (Recent PvZ is a good analogy.)
My wife is Vietnamese as well as a chef, so I've got a pretty sweet deal going. Depending on how much time we have, we make pho different ways. There is a very good pho bullion that tastes great and is very quick and easy. I'll find out what the brand is. However, if we are having a dinner party or just an occasion when we want to spend 6+ hours on dinner, we do everything from scratch. Homemade authentic pho is on a level that no pre-made pack or restaurant can ever match.
I failed miserably. I used 2kg cow bones and 1kg oxtail. 2 sticks of cinnamon, a cartoon pod and 4 whole star arise with a healthy amount of ginger. Topped it up to cover the bones and kept topping it up. Boiled it for 4 hrs, no good, 6hrs no good, 16 hours no good. It ended up being a mildly spiced ox tail soup.
Real pho should be light and spiced and taste of cow.
In the end I salvaged it and made a stew. It made for a beastly stew after some kimchi and potato noodles went in. But it wasn't pho. I think that many of the recipes I see aren't pho and just beef broth with some ox tail and spices. Ox tail is simply too fatty to be used in the quantities some of these recipes require and I don't know what bones ppl are using but even with knuckle, spine or tail bones you can't get a real beef taste in the soup after 3 hours or even 5. And by the time the broth does have a beef taste the spices have been boiled out of the broth.
If only I could get a real vietnamese family to spill the beans on the specifics of what they use. Now I understand why my friend wasn't taught his family's pho recipe cos his mother didn't consider him serious enough. This ship is serious...
On July 13 2011 02:43 T0fuuu wrote: I failed miserably. I used 2kg cow bones and 1kg oxtail. 2 sticks of cinnamon, a cartoon pod and 4 whole star arise with a healthy amount of ginger. Topped it up to cover the bones and kept topping it up. Boiled it for 4 hrs, no good, 6hrs no good, 16 hours no good. It ended up being a mildly spiced ox tail soup.
Real pho should be light and spiced and taste of cow.
In the end I salvaged it and made a stew. It made for a beastly stew after some kimchi and potato noodles went in. But it wasn't pho. I think that many of the recipes I see aren't pho and just beef broth with some ox tail and spices. Ox tail is simply too fatty to be used in the quantities some of these recipes require and I don't know what bones ppl are using but even with knuckle, spine or tail bones you can't get a real beef taste in the soup after 3 hours or even 5. And by the time the broth does have a beef taste the spices have been boiled out of the broth.
If only I could get a real vietnamese family to spill the beans on the specifics of what they use. Now I understand why my friend wasn't taught his family's pho recipe cos his mother didn't consider him serious enough. This ship is serious...
Use the recipe I posted in the OP man...It is really difficult to make the broth by yourself, so use the pre-made mix that I mentioned.
On June 19 2011 09:14 cccalf wrote: My method, which I believe to be the most effective one for making homemade pho, is having a Vietnamese wife. ;D@
Yeah right. GL with that. I'm having trouble finding girls who can make Pho even in Vietnam. Seriously what has the world become. (Recent PvZ is a good analogy.)
My wife is Vietnamese as well as a chef, so I've got a pretty sweet deal going. Depending on how much time we have, we make pho different ways. There is a very good pho bullion that tastes great and is very quick and easy. I'll find out what the brand is. However, if we are having a dinner party or just an occasion when we want to spend 6+ hours on dinner, we do everything from scratch. Homemade authentic pho is on a level that no pre-made pack or restaurant can ever match.
When making from scratch which animal bones make the base stock? I assume its beef based on other posts. Also do you recommend any particular cow bones for the stock? Would love to give this a go
EPT![[image loading]](http://www.lovingpho.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/quoc-viet-beef-soup-base.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.lovingpho.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/variety-of-dry-banh-pho-noodle.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://nhahangvannam.com/Images/bi-quyet-nau-pho-ngon-tu-cong-thuc-pho-goc-hang-dong-nam-dinh-1.jpg)
Looks delicious!![[image loading]](http://english.cinet.vn/UploadFile/thumbnails/8_9_5_41_956.jpg)
... i could learn how to make my traditional food in ENGLISH LOLOLOL![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/nlVlU.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/XlEFA.jpg)
