Vietnamese Pho of Chicken & Beef: Recipe and Ingredients

Phở Vietnam, aside from Bánh Mì, is the other smash hit that put Vietnamese Cuisine on the map in many different countries around the globe. It’s one of many humble Noodle Soup Based Dishes that uses affordable ingredients and turns them into a flavorful and aromatic food staple.

What is Phở?

Pho, pronounced as “Fuh” in the tone of a question, is the World well-known national dish of Vietnam. It originated in the early 20th century in Northern Vietnam and made popular all over the world by refugees after the Vietnam War.

vietnamese-pho

Different parts of Vietnam offer different styles amd recipe of Phở. Northern regions of the country offer a more savory broth with fewer toppings like Phở Hanoi whereas Southern People offer a sweeter broth, with a lot more variety of herbs, vegetables, and meats.

The two most popular types of Vietnamese Pho noodle soups are Beef Noodle Soup (Phở Bò) and Chicken Noodle Soup (Phở Ga). In this recipe, we will be focusing on Southern-style Pho.

Vietnamese Phở Broth:

To prepare the broth for beef/chicken pho, a combination of beef/chicken bones and tough meaty cuts is simmered together with ginger and onions. These include bones of chicken & pork, beef shank, beef neck bones, oxtail, beef knuckle bones, flank steak, and brisket.

pho-saigon

After hours of simmering, the broth of Phở is infused with a blend of toasted spices, cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, coriander, cloves, and sometimes fennel. Once the flavors have melded together, the broth is strained to achieve a clear consistency, then seasoned with salt, sugar, fish sauce, and optionally, sometimes with MSG.

The meaty beef/chicken cuts that have been simmering in the broth are then thinly sliced and used as a topping. Other meaty toppings may include cooked pork balls, beef balls, beef tendons, beef tripe, and thinly sliced eye-round beef steak that is served rare to be briefly cooked by hot broth.

How to Serve Phở?

Beef Pho (Phở Bò) and Chicken Pho (Phở Gà) in Vietnam are typically served in a large, deep bowl and presented in the following way:

Thin Rice Noodles and Meats: The bowl is filled with cooked flat rice noodles and an assortment of tender beef or chicken meats.
Aromatic broth: The noodles and meats are then submerged in a flavorful and aromatic hot broth.
Garnishes: The bowl is garnished with chopped green onions, cilantro, and thinly sliced yellow onions.
Accompaniments: A small platter of fresh herbs and condiments is served alongside the bowl. These typically include Thai basil, mung bean sprouts, lime wedges, sliced jalapenos, hoisin sauce, and sriracha chili sauce.

How to Eat Vietnamese Phở?

There's no strict right or wrong way to eat or serve pho. The beauty lies in personalizing the experience to your liking but here is my suggested approach on how to eat pho:

1. First, take a moment to appreciate the enticing fragrance of the broth and the herbs when it arrived at the table. Then take a sip of the broth to appreciate it in its purest form.

2. Customize the taste if needed. Feel free to squeeze in a bit of lime juice for acidity, a squirt of hoisin for a savory sweetness and sriracha for a spicy kick. Many young kids, including mine, skip this step entirely, which is a sign of good broth.

3. If you enjoy the vegetables provided, add them to the bowl. If you don’t like them, leave them out. I like to add a handful of bean sprouts, a ton of basil leaves, and a couple of slices of jalapenos or red chili peppers.

4. I like to prepare a small plate with hoisin and sriracha chili sauce on the side to dip the beef slices.

5. For me, it’s a three-step eating process. First, use chopsticks to grab noodles with all the herbs and vegetables and enjoy that first bite. Dip meat slices in hoisin and sriracha sauce for the second bite. Finally, follow with a sip of broth. Repeat until done.

What are the differences between Pho Saigon and Pho Hanoi?

While Pho Hanoi (Hanoi Noodle Soup) is commonly served with thin slices of beef shank, a bowl of Pho Saigon has some other protein toppings such as beef meatballs, poached eggs, beef intestines, and tendons.

Moreover, the choice of ingredients used to cook the broth of Pho Saigon is also different. Besides some traditional spices such as roasted ginger, pepper, onion, cinnamon, cilantro root, and Chinese chives, Saigon People also add dried squid, beef fat, chicken bones, and daikon to make the broth sweeter to suit their tastes.

It is also noticeable that the noodles of Pho Hanoi are thin and flat, while those of Pho Saigon are thicker and rounder. Enjoying Pho Saigon, all your senses will be wonderfully roused by the wonderful mix of all the ingredients. Therefore, during your trip to Ho Chi Minh City, don’t forget to try Pho Saigon!

Best Local Places/Restaurants to Try Pho in Saigon:

1. Pho 2000 Saigon - Among the best Vietnamese pho restaurants: