Chicken pho recipe
Easy to pull together, this is a favourite among the young, the old and everyone in between, all across the world. This is a much lighter fragrant phở. Among the Vietnamese, the rules are strict with the flavours of phở – but don’t let that stop you. It is okay if you don’t have all the spices, but it is important to have star anise. You can make the broth five days ahead.
Ingredients
For the chicken pho- 2.5 l water or enough to cover the chicken
- 1 corn-fed, free-range chicken (about 1.5kg/ 2lb 4oz)
- 1 large onion, cut at both ends to stand
- 150 g ginger root, halved
- 1 x 10cm/4inch daikon or parsnip (optional)
- 15 star anise
- 4 whole cloves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 2 black cardamom pods (optional but good to have)
- 1 tbsp coriander (cilantro) seeds in a ball strainer or small muslin infuser
- 30 g rock sugar or 1 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
- 15 g sea salt
- 4 tbsp fish sauce (or more to taste)
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 75 g dry flat rice noodles per serving or fresh ho fun noodles
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 4 handfuls coriander (cilantro) leaves, torn or coarsely chopped
- 3 spring onions (scallions), white and green parts, sliced lengthways, soaked in cold water until curled
- 1 red or white onion, thinly sliced
- 3 sprigs of Thai basil and/or sawtooth (if you can get it), leaves only
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 4 bird’s-eye chillies, sliced (optional)
- 4 lime wedges
Details
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Recipe Type: Chicken
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 70 mins
- Serves: 4
Step-by-step
- Measure the water into a saucepan just large enough to hold the chicken and bring to the boil. Trim off any excess skin and fat around the cavity and neck of the chicken, then submerge in the boiling water. To achieve a clear broth, once the pot comes back to the boil, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, occasionally skimming off impurities.
- In a griddle or frying pan (skillet) over a high heat, char the onion, ginger and daikon or parsnip on both sides, then add to the broth.
- Use the same pan to toast the spices until fragrant, then add them to the broth with the stock cubes, sugar and salt. Simmer for a further 30 minutes until the chicken is cooked.
- Remove the chicken from the liquid and check that the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh. Set aside to cool.
- Remove the vegetables, bones and spices from the broth and discard. Separate the meat from the carcass and slice the chicken against the grain into bite-sized pieces.
- Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions. Divide the noodles among serving bowls.
- Place the sliced chicken on top, garnish with coriander, spring onion, red onion and basil leaves. Season with a pinch of pepper and a couple of slices of chilli, if using.
- When ready to serve, season the broth with fish sauce, tasting with every spoonful to see if it’s to your liking. Bring to the boil, then ladle the hot broth into the bowls, making sure that all the ingredients are submerged. Serve immediately with a squeeze of lime and more of the garnishes.
This recipe is from Vietnamese: Simple Vietnamese Food to Cook at Home by Uyen Luu (Hardie Grant, £22). Photography: Uyen Luu.
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