The other evening, Steven inquired: Have you seen the Quick Chicken Pho recipe printed in this old edition of The Week Magazine? Well, I hadn't read that issue yet, and I was delighted to be introduced to Andrea Nguyen's version of the classic Vietnamese soup, which is included in her recent The Pho Cookbook (Ten Speed Press).
We prepared the pho the following night, and it was as promised: quick from start to finish (the author indicates that it's a 45 minute preparation), fragrant, lovely to look at and so very satisfying.
We are and have been avid pho fans for a very long time, but usually our pho is beef-based, and so the chicken-based was a completely new experience for us - and a welcome one at that! We savored every bite of it.
Of course, having a shelf of dehydrated mushrooms (and being dyed-in-the-wool mushroom connoisseurs) inspired us to add a handful of re-hydrated hedgehogs (including the water used to hydrate them) in Step 6. The mushrooms lent quite a nice, subtle background flavor to the broth and were removed when the broth was poured through a fine-mesh strainer.
The variety and quality of the product that we encountered
while on holiday in Vietnam was astonishing! Can you spot
the baskets of fresh mushrooms in this filled-to-capacity stall?
Andrea Nguyen's Quick Chicken Pho
3/4 inch section ginger, peeled
2 medium-large green onions
1 very small bunch cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 whole clove
3 - 1/2 to 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (Ms. Nguyen suggests Swanson's)
2 cups water
6 to 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken (breast or thigh)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
5 oz. dried narrow flat rice noodles
2 to 3 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon organic sugar or 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
salt & pepper
- Slice ginger into 4 or 5 coins. Smack with flat side of knife or meat mallet. Set aside.
- Thinly slice green parts of green onions to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons. Set aside for garnish. Cut the rest into pinkie-finger lengths, bruise, and add to ginger.
- Coarsely chop leafy tops of cilantro to yield 2 tablespoons. Set aside for garnish. Reserve remaining sprigs.
- In 3 to 4 quart pot, toast coriander seeds and clove over medium heat until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add ginger and bruised green onion. Stir about 30 seconds, until aromatic.
- Slide pot off heat and wait 15 seconds to briefly cool. Pour in broth.
- Return pot to burner. Add water, reserved cilantro sprigs, chicken and salt. Bring to boil over high heat, then lower to gently simmer for 30 minutes.
- While broth simmers, soak rice noodles in hot water until pliable and opaque. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- After 5 to 10 minutes of simmering, chicken should be firm and cooked through. Transfer meat to bowl, flush with cold water to arrest cooking and drain. Let cool, then shred into bite-size pieces. Cover loosely to prevent drying.
- When broth is done, pour through fine-mesh strainer positioned over 2 quart pot. Discard solids. You should have about 4 cups liquid.
- Season broth with fish sauce and sugar or maple syrup (if needed), to create strong savory-sweet note.
- Bring to boil over high heat. Put noodles in noodles strainer and dunk in hot broth to heat and soften, 5 to 60 seconds. Lift noodles from pot and divide between two bowls. Lower heat to keep broth hot.
- Arrange chicken on top of noodles in bowls and garnish with chopped green onions, cilantro, and a sprinkling of black pepper. Taste broth and adjust salt. Return to boil, then ladle into bowls.
The foods of Vietnam were amazing, and so were the children.
We were completely enchanted by this precious young child
that was snoozing on one of the many barges that
constantly travel the Mekong!