Vietnamese chicken soup PHỞ GÀ

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Pho Ga soup It is common to see many home cooks use both beef and chicken in one pot of Pho. However, many northern Vietnamese believe that Pho Bo and Pho Ga should be two different variations of this dish.

In the beef version, we use more spices like star anise, black cardamom and cinnamon to balance the strong aroma of the beef. On the contrary, in the chicken version, we use more onions and roots such as shallots, ginger and coriander root to add an extra fresh and sweet aroma to the soup. This chicken version of Pho cooks much faster than the beef version, but still tastes amazing.

Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 1 hour 10 minutes Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Recipe by Helen Phở Gà - Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

For the broth

  • 1 whole free-range chicken, approximately 1.2 kg
  • 1 spring onion leek sprout
  • 2 slices of ginger
  • 4 liters of water
  • 1 yellow onion, peeled
  • 2-3 tablespoons of salt
  • 2-3 teaspoons of cane sugar
  • 2-3 teaspoons of chicken broth

To the smell of Pho

  • 1 piece ginger (two inch size)
  • 3 shallots
  • 6 coriander roots (or 1 tablespoon coriander seeds)
  • 1 piece of cinnamon (optional)
  • 2 star anise (optional)

To the Pho bowl

  • 450g dried Pho wide rice noodles (or 1kg fresh Pho noodles)
  • 5 camphor leaves cut into thin streams
  • 1 yellow onion, cut into thin circles and soaked in cold water
  • 100 g spring onion leek shoots, green part chopped, white part beaten
  • A slice of herbs: Mexican coriander, Thai basil
  • 500 g of blanched mung bean sprouts

Attachments:

  • Fish sauce, Sriracha, hoisin, (optional) pickled garlic chili

Instructions

1. Sprinkle salt on the chicken and rub it on the skin to remove the bad smell of the poultry. Rinse thoroughly under running water and fill it with 1 spring onion sprout and 2 slices of ginger. This will enhance the flavor of the meat during cooking.

2. Put the chicken in a pot filled with 4 liters of water, 1 tablespoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of chicken stock and 1 peeled onion (optional: plus 1 teaspoon of sugar/cane sugar).

3. Bring to a boil and keep skimming the foam as soon as it appears on the surface. Once it boils, reduce the heat to medium and cook until the chicken is tender. This can take 30-60 minutes depending on the type of chicken you use.

4. To create the PHO fragrance, roast all the ingredients for the PHO fragrance directly on the stove flame, rinse them with warm water and scrape the burns. (If using coriander seeds, toast them quickly in a pan to release the aroma.) Place these items in large tea bags (or wrap tightly in a piece of whey) and add to the stock pot. For the best aroma in your Pho bowl, add these flavorings to the stock pot up to 30 minutes before serving and not right at the beginning. Season to taste with salt, sugar and chicken broth.

5. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the package. Then we rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process and remove the starch from the outside. And we rinse them once more with hot water. This will help the noodles dry faster (hot water evaporates faster) and become more airy (instead of sticking together and becoming lumpy).

6. When no pink water comes out when you pierce the chicken with a skewer, it is cooked. Remove it from the pot and rinse well with cold water to prevent the skin from browning. Let cool and remove the bone. Cut the meat into bite-sized pieces or tear coarsely with your fingers. Return the bones to the stock pot. (Try not to leave any meat on the bones, as this can make the broth less clear.)

7. Place a handful of noodles in a large serving bowl to fill a third of the bowl. (You can quickly scald the noodles to keep them warm before serving.) Top with the chicken, strips of camphor leaves, thinly sliced onions, and sliced spring onions. Whisk the white parts of the spring onion leeks in a pot of stock and pour the hot stock over the noodles. Serve with additional chopped spring onion leeks and cilantro of your choice.

8. Serve with a lime wedge, some herbs and sweet basil. Optional: fish sauce, steamed bean sprouts, Sriracha or hoisin sauce, pickled garlic chili, etc.

Video demonstration of the recipe

 

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