Pho… Phu… Fo… Fuh…
Hi there foody friends. We’re thrilled to be sharing our version of chicken pho soup with you today!
I’m pretty sure I pronounced pho incorrectly for years. During my pre blog days, it was less about the facts and more about the flavour. I knew I loved this soup, and didn’t really care what it was called 🙂
So…I was wrong.
A few years ago, I was visiting a buddy of mine and he told me his daughter loved the soup… but he pronounced it “fuh”. At first I thought to correct him and then discovered his family ate this soup frequently and they had learned the correct pronunciation. Oops… looks like I’d been wrong all along! I had always pronounced it as “foe”.
Pho Breakfast?
Pho originated in Vietnam, and is incredibly popular there. It’s one of the most popular street foods in the country. Pho is delicious so it’s not surprising that it’s become very popular in many parts of the world. Soups like this are often served for lunch or dinner in the western side of the world. In Vietnam, it’s actually quite popular for breakfast. And why not! It’s hearty, nutritious, cheap and delicious—the perfect way to start the day.
How does our recipe stack up to authentic pho?
The foundation of pho is broth, noodles, herbs, spices and meat. The meat is usually beef or chicken. Herbs and spices vary from recipe to recip too.
For the most part, our recipe follows the general structure of pho. The main difference between our soup and the traditional pho is the broth. Authentic pho is made with broth that is slow-cooked for hours. That is obviously the better version!
Our recipe offers you a great backup plan that can be made at home and served up quick when you’re in the mood for some warm comfort food on a cold day, or any day really. We’re not going to claim our soup is as good as the pho you can buy from a street vendor in Vietnam, but it’s definitely a delicious alternative if you don’t live there or when you don’t want to go out to an authentic pho restaurant.
This is some seriously delicious food. Give our recipe a try! We think you’ll “pho-ll” in love with it. Oh, and don’t forget the hot sauce. Mmm…eat well, friends!
This chicken pho soup is perfect Vietnamese comfort food. It'll warm you up on a cold winter day! This version is also quick and easy to make.
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 shallots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger root, finely grated
- 8 cups high quality chicken broth
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 stalks lemon grass, ends cut, outer layers removed and pounded/crushed to release flavour
- 2 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts (450 g or 16 oz)
- 300 g or 10.6 oz dry rice stick noddles (bánh phở)
- 3 stalks green onions, sliced thin
- 2 cups bean sprouts
- Small bunch of cilantro
- 1 lime, cut in 4 wedges
- 1 chili pepper, sliced thin
- 12 basil leaves
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In a medium pot, heat the oil on medium to medium high.
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Sauté the shallots, garlic and ginger until the shallots start to soften.
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Add the chicken stock, fish sauce, salt, pepper, sugar and crushed lemon grass.
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Add the chicken breasts and increase the heat to high.
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Once the broth starts to boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
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While the stock is simmering, use a kettle to boil about 1.5 litres of water.
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Place the dry noddles in a large bowl and cover with the boiling water.
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Once the noddles soften (after about two minutes), drain the noddles and set the bowl aside.
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Once the chicken is cooked, turn off the heat, remove the chicken from the pot and shred into large pieces using a fork.
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Using a sieve, strain the broth into a bowl with a spout.
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Place four large soup bowls on the counter.
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Divide the noodles equally into the four soup bowls.
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Add the shredded chicken to the bowls.
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Divide the garnishes equally amongst the four bowls and pour in the strained broth over all the ingredients.
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Serve the soup hot with a side the chili garlic sauce or other favourite hot sauce.
