Hearty and aromatic, this Vietnamese chicken noodle soup recipe, also called pho gà, is not only made to impress, but will also warm your heart and soul on a cold fall or winter day! Chicken pho is so underrated when compared to its famous cousin, the beef pho. However, what I love about it is that it requires less time to make and tastes just as delicious, but in its own way.
My dad, who is THE cook for any Eastern Asian dishes, would make this for us occasionaly. He still makes it and my mom and sisters still get to enjoy his cooking! Since I no longer live in the same city, I had to learn how to master cooking the Vietnamese chicken noodle soup the authentic way just like the way he makes it. Since it’s AAPI month, I thought to share with you this recipe that you will definitely enjoy. Moreover, this whole recipe is gluten-free! Pho noodles are gluten-free because they are made with water and rice.
Although we would eat pho as a main dish, you can also serve this soup as an appetizer. This recipe makes about 6 to 8 meal-sized portions and double if served as an appetizer soup.
INFORMATION ABOUT PHO GÀ
Origins of pho – The pho name derives from “Pot-au-feu”, which you can guess, is a French term. The “pot-au-feu” is a soup consisting of vegetables and meat. Similarly, to make the pho broth, you need to simmer the meat bones for several hours. Pho originated in the late 1800s and also has Chinese influences in addition to French. The noodles and spices used for pho originate from China. Over time, pho became popular and spread all over the country from North to South. The pho that we know today is popularized by the Southern Vietnamese who massively emigrated after the Vietnam war. Pho from Southern Vietnam is rich and complex in his flavors and is served with many herbs and toppings. Northern Vietnamese pho is only served with limes and bean sprouts. The recipe below is the Southern Vietnam version, which is where I come from!
Principles of pho broth making and its spices – To make authentic Vietnamese chicken noodle soup, you will need to use pho spices. They consist of cardamom seeds, cinnamon barks or sticks, whole cloves, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and star anise The taste difference in the pho will lie within whether you choose to make your broth by using only vegetables, chicken or beef bones. Beef pho broth usually takes about 8 hours to cook while chicken pho takes half the time.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What kind of herbs to serve pho with? With pho, you can use pretty much any Eastern Asian herbs that float your boat. I like to pair my chicken pho with cilantro, tía tô (perilla or shisho leaves) and thai basil. Another popular herb that is quite commonly paired with pho is ngò gai (sawtooth). Eating and serving pho the Vietnamese way consists in laying all the herbs on a plate. You can also add other toppings such as onions, lime quarters and green onions for everyone to serve.
How to store pho broth? Leftover pho broth can be stored into the refrigerator for 7 days and store into the freezer for 3 months. I love to have leftover pho broth because I can just unfreeze it and have a quick dinner on busier days.
What to do with leftover pho broth? If you don’t have all the herbs and pho noodles left, you can always add ramen into the soup. It will be a Vietnamese-Japanese fusion noodle soup dish! Another way to use your leftover pho broth is to serve it with dumplings; it is so delicious!
PHO NOODLES
What are pho noodles? Thin flat rice noodles are the ones used for pho. They can easily be found at either Asian or regular groceries stores in the Asian section.
Cooking the pho noodles – To decrease the cooking time, par-cook the rice noodles by placing them into a baking dish. Fill it with boiling water for 15 minutes, drain and cover until ready to serve.
Once ready to serve: In a pot with boiling water, take amount of noodle needed into a strainer. Place strainer into the pot with boiling water covering the noodles for 30 seconds. Remove the strainer and place cooked noodles into individual bowls before adding the broth and chicken.
My dad uses this method and it is prefered especially if you have leftovers noodles. You can store them in the fridge up to 3 days in a sealed container and proceed with the above steps once ready to eat. If you cook your noodles all at once, they will lose their consistency and become soggy the next day.
TIPS FOR MAKING PHO GÀ
Toasting the spices – I highly recommend toasting the spices in a skillet under medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. They become very fragrant and will release all the delicious flavors in your broth. Nowadays, you can easily find pre-packaged pho spices pouches at the Asian grocery stores. This will facilitate your cooking. In addition, it can also save you some money if you do not plan on using these spices regularly.
Fish sauce – The fish sauce gives the pho broth an unami flavor so you should not skip it. Since you are using fish sauce, salt is not recommended. If necessary, you can salt the broth at the end of the simmering process.
Hoisin sauce and other toppings – In addition to the herbs served, hoisin sauce is a condiment used to dip your chicken. I love my hoisin sauce with a splash of fresh lime juice as it gives a nice salty and sour flavour. Other toppings used for pho are thinly sliced onions and chopped green onions. If you are like me and love eating spicy, you can add some chopped bird eye’s chili or sriracha…or both!
Equipment
- 1 Large soup pot
- 1 Stir fry pan
- 1 Baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 pack of thin flat rice noodles (1 lb)
- 1 whole chicken about 3 lbs
- 16 cups or 4 L water
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 onions halves
- 1 small ginger
- ¼ cup fish sauce
- Pepper to taste
For the spices
- 3 star anise
- 2 cinnamon barks or sticks
- 1 cardamom pod
- 1 Tbsp fennel seeds
- 1 Tbsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp whole cloves
Herbs & Toppings
- Bunch of coriander leaves rinsed and dried
- Bunch of Tía tô perilla leaves, rinsed and dried
- Bunch of Thai of basil leaves rinsed and dried
- 6 scallions chopped
- 1 small red onion sliced
- 2 limes quartered
- Optional: Bird’s eye chili
Condiments
- Hoisin sauce
- 1 lime juice
- Optional: Sriracha sauce
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, add water, chicken, garlic cloves, onions and fish sauce.
- Meanwhile, on a stir fry pan, toast all spice ingredients and ginger for two to three minutes under medium heat. Add the spices into a spice pouch.
- Add the spice pouch and ginger to the soup pot, bring it to a boil, partially cover the soup pot and decrease heat to a simmer for 90 minutes.
- Remove all scum that comes on the surface.
- Meanwhile, put all herbs and toppings ingredients on a serving dish, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Prepare condiment by mixing hoisin sauce with lime juice and sriracha sauce (optional) and place them in small individual serving or dipping bowls. Set aside until ready to serve.
- After 90 minutes, withdraw chicken and remove the meat from the carcass. Set the meat aside, return the carcass into the soup pot and continue to simmer for another 90 minutes.
- Meanwhile, par-cook the noodles by placing them in a baking dish and cover with boiling water for 15 minutes then discard water and set aside until ready to serve.
- Once the broth is done cooking, discard all spices, carcass, onions and ginger by passing the broth through a strainer.
To serve:
- Finish cooking the noodles: in a sauce pan with boiling water, take amount of noodle needed into a strainer. Place strainer into the sauce pan with boiling water covering the noodles for 30 seconds, remove the strainer and place cooked noodles into individual bowls.
- Place chicken meat in bowls.
- Pour broth over noodles and chicken.
