Both of our kids love Vietnamese noodle soup, the boy pho Bo (beef) and the girl, Ga (chicken) we are no longer living in Vietnam so it’s now a little harder for them to get their fix. Not only would it be nice for them to always be able to eat what they enjoy; as a life mother to a Vietnamese daughter, being able to make pho that tastes like it’s made by a native Hanioan really feels like a duty.
Must add being a non meat eater has rendered me pretty useless when it comes to cooking the stuff, so I’m really starting from scratch and relying on the taste buds and honesty of my family on this one.
Yesterday was the perfect pho Ga day, both son and husband returned, victorious but totally wrecked, from a grueling international weekend football tournament…pinny on, I set to work!
Began with this recipe, http://norecipes.com/blog/pho-ga-recipe/ , wonderfully frugal concept to poach the whole chicken while you making the stock. Meat is beautifully tender too, not at all dry. Deviated slightly by using stock had previously prepared,using Matthew Evan’s method (see below) and frozen chicken that had been poached during it’s making.
1 onion, 1 carrot, bunch of coriander, bunch of spring onions, 1tsp salt, 4l water and a medium sized chicken giblets removed.
Boiled salted water, added veg and simmered for 10 minutes, added whole chicken, returned water to boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Removed from heat, covered with fitted lid allowed bird to cook for at least 1 hour. Removed bird, ensuring cooked right through and strained stock through kitchen towel lined colander to remove fat.
The end result smelted authentic, but slightly lacked depth. The family enjoyed it and ? kindly? reassured me about it’s flavour , but most importantly on this occasion it had the desired restorative effect. However I suspect there is plenty of room for improvement….Will change the way I make the stock for the next batch, to include giblets and arrange a more objective taste test opportunity for my Vietnamese friends!
Overall impressed with how quickly it can be put together by having previously prepared frozen meat ingredients and pretty standard cupboard staples.
Forty things 