I’m an enthusiatic 60s history buff. Born a few years too late to be a hippie but a wannabe nonetheless, I collected all the music of the time . When I was 10, I signed up for the Columbia House record club where you got 12 albums for $1.99. I conveniently ignored the fact that Columbia House made up for all those “discount” records by requiring you to buy 12 more over the next year for an inflated “full” price. My Dad was NOT happy! Guess who had to foot the bill for all those albums?
Records of several artists from the California music scene occupied space on my record rack. The voices of Steppenwolf, Janis Joplin, The Doors, Jefferson Airplane, and the Grateful Dead frequently blared from my bedroom, much to the chagrin of my parents.
The social and political unrest of the 60s fascinated me and I developed an interest in politics in those early years. The Vietnam War occupied daily headlines and I vividly recall the nightly news program reporting on the number of American soldiers that perished that day. Too young to be drafted, I felt the anxiety of families whose sons were ripped from their lives at home and shipped off to southeast Asia. Many boys not to much older than me dreaded the day they got a draft number. A high numbers prompted a celebration. A low numbers didn’t.
Because of my interest in that period of time, the decision to make a trip to Vietnam last year excited me beyond words. My earliest memories of Vietnam from what I witnessed on television was of an underdeveloped, poverty-striken, third-world country. I knew that was no longer the case, but I had no idea what to expect before we arrived.
Saigon, now called Ho Chi Minh City, proved to be a beautiful and modern metropolis. The museums and historical sites not only tell the story of Vietnamese history, but also represent in graphic detail the horrors of the war. The communist government presents the events of the war with a much different perspective from what we are taught in America. To be sure, the war was a travesty and the horrific tactics used by both sides took the lives of untold numbers of young men.
Now, shifting gears to a more positive subject…food! Pho (pronounced fuh), a popular Vietnamese street food, is a broth-based soup with flat rice noodles, meat, and herbs. After exploring the city for a few hours with our good friends, David and Trace, we set out to find the very best pho restaurant in town. At the suggestion of a local, we found the perfect lunch spot. The bustling eatery cranked out bowl after bowl of the delicious soup leaving its patrons completely satiated.
After lunch we explored a few of the many street markets where locals sell almost anything you can think of, including fruits, vegetables, and flowers.
With a temperature in the high 90s and almost 100% humidity, the day took its toll and by mid afternoon we were searching for a cool spot that was serving something with ice. A cocktail on a shady patio of a local bar brought the fascinating day to a close.
I’m fortunate to work in an area of Atlanta that’s home to many Asian restaurants and markets. Two of my favorite Vietnamese restaurants stand out in the crowd and regularly receive glowing reviews from local press. After many years of eating pho, I figured it was time to try my hand at making it at home.
The secret to making tasty pho lies in the broth. Balancing the complex flavors of the chicken stock and the spices, including ginger, star anise, cloves, fennel seeds, and cinnamon is the key. The rich, savory broth combined with the meat and freshness of the herbs that are added just prior to eating makes for some mighty fine eating, as they say in Mississippi.
I’ll cherish the rich memories of my time in Vietnam and one of the gifts I returned with was the inspiration to bring its cuisine into my home. Check out a previous post featuring another Asian favorite, Vietnamese Summer Rolls.
Ingredients
1 4-inch piece of ginger
2 large onions
5 quarts water
1 4-pound chicken
2 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 star anise pods
2 tablespoons toasted fennel seeds
5 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup thinly sliced onion
1 cup shredded carrots
12 ounces rice noodles
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 cups fresh cilantro
2 cups mint
2 cups Thai basil
2 limes, cut into wedges
2 cups mung bean sprouts
2 serrano peppers, thinly sliced
Instructions
1. Place ginger and onions over the burner of gas stove and char on all sides. Alternatively, you can place the ginger and onions under the broiler, turning regularly until all sides are charred.
2. Scrape off the charred peel of the ginger with a teaspoon and cut in half lengthwise. Remove the outer charred layers of the onions and cut in half.
3. Bring water to a boil in a large stock pot. Transfer ginger and onions to pot. Add chicken, salt, fish sauce, anise, fennel seed, cloves, cinnamon stick, and sugar to pot. Reduce to low simmer and cook for 1 hour.
4. Remove chicken from pot and cool. Debone chicken and slice into bite-sized pieces. Cover and refrigerate. Return carcass to the pot. Continue cooking stock at a low simmer for 1 hour. Remove pot from heat, strain broth through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer, and return to pot. Skim excess fat from top of broth with a large spoon.
5. Cover the noodles with very hot water for 15 to 20 minutes until they are pliable. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
6. Add sliced onion and carrots to broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Adjust salt and/or fish sauce to taste.
1. Remove reserved chicken from refrigerator.
2. In batches, drop softened noodles in boiling water for 10 to 15 seconds. Remove noodles from water and evenly divide them between six large bowls. Add several pieces of chicken to each bowl.
3. Ladle simmering broth into each bowl. Serve with garnishes of scallions, cilantro, mint, Thai basil, lime wedges, bean sprouts, and peppers.
https://southernboydishes.com/2014/02/18/pho-ga-vietnamese-chicken-noodle-soup/
- Roasted Cauliflower and Fennel Soup - November 8, 2015
- Smoky and Sweet Turkey Chili{+ a Cookbook Giveaway} - October 27, 2015
- Black-Eyed Pea and Collard Stew with Turkey Sausage - October 16, 2015
Beautiful pictures that really capture Vietnam. Pho is one of my favorite soups and I’m looking forward to trying your recipe.
Great pictures. I was born in Saigon but haven’t been back since arriving in America. I was too young to have any memories of it, but hopefully one day in the future I can make some more.
Pho was something I’ve only attempted to make recently for myself (for shame, I know). Couldn’t figure out why my broth didn’t taste like my mom’s until my brother said our mom cheats with pho bouillon. Go figure!
Thanks for dropping by, Nhi. You really should try to make it to your homeland. It’s an amazing place.
A fantastic post — and your trip photos are simply gorgeous. Can’t wait to try your pho, which I have never dared to try my hand at before. Thanks, Bill!
Thank you Julianne! I appreciate it and you should try it. It’s really pretty easy!
I remember the 60s well! And had the, ahem, honor of being part of the first draft lottery. Luckily I had a great number — 309. I know too many people who didn’t return from VIetnam. I’ve never visited, but would love to go someday — the food can be incredible. Like this soup! Excellent job with it (and great pictures) — thanks.
Glad you had a high draft number, John! I right on the tail end of the draft. I had to register, but never got a number.
Sounds like this trip last summer was beyond amazing! As does this pho-ga!
Are those red fruits rambutans? Did you get to taste them?
It was a great trip, Shashi! The fruits are rambutans, but I didn’t get a chance to try them. I saw them everywhere!
Looks super yumm. I am not that fan of making the soup with beef so i am so happy that this is with chicken. I am sure going to try this when i have all the indridients at home.
Thanks for dropping by, Finla. I use chicken stock all the time, but this recipe is chicken stock on steroids!
What a great post. During the Flower Power era, I was in middle school and I actually was at the Monterey Pop Festival! Janice Joplin,Jimi Hendrix,Mamas & The Papas, to name just a few. I remember feeling embarrassed that my mom was with us, as we wore our granny gowns and square spectacles. It’s also a chapter in my life I remember well. The Columbia house records deal… made me laugh. I fell for that one, too! Your photographs of your trip were beautifully presented, and it gave me a feel for the country. As for Pho (I just recently learned I was saying FO, which is incorrect) I’ve only experienced it once, and I fell in-love. This is no ordinary chicken soup! It was full of flavor, and great textures I have toyed with making it, and this recipe has given me courage to think I just might be able to pull it off Beautiful post.
Thank you, Debby! I’ve watched the Monterey Pop Festival movie so many times, I can count. That’s where Janis Joplin really took off in her career! Give the Pho a try. I think you’ll find it easy to make. You just throw everything in the pot and let it go. Let me know what you think. Thanks for dropping by!
Your pictures and story are amazing! Being a a bit of an ‘old hippy’ myself – I remember those times and how strange the world seemed to be, it was an odd kind of normal. I had two girlfriends whose brothers were killed. I did not understand the magnetite – it’s difficult to grasp the pain. How wonderful of you to go back and look at that country with fresh eyes…and tastebuds! Wonderful post – enjoyed it so much!
Thank you so much for your comment, Kathi! I love hearing from from folks of our generation who can relate to such an amazing time in our history!
What an amazing trip! And Pho is my all-time favorite soup. It’s what I eat when I have a cold as I think it works miracles to get a cold over with fast. I’ve never made it though. I’m pinning and saving your recipe to make soon.
Thanks, Renee! Let me know how you like the recipe