This is possibly the mister's favorite food...in it's purest form Pho Ga is nothing more than a bowl full of taste-less noodles, boiled chicken and broth...something that I would have to force myself to gag down. But the mister loves it - the more bland, the better. He probably eats this 3 or 4 times a week...you would think he'd be fluent in Vietnamese by now! (It's pronounced FAH-GAH...as in do-re-mi-FA-so-la-ti-do!) But Pho Ga doesn't have to be bland...which is why it's also one of my favorite foods...when "doctored" it goes from bland and boring to Pho-Gasmigorical! Homemade chicken broth full of flavor, fresh basil, crispy bean sprouts, squeezes of lime juice and sweet Hoisin Sauce with just a touch of Sriarcha hot sauce...now we're talking SOUP!
Start with a whole fryer, add in onions, leeks, carrots, celery, cabbage and broccoli - and whatever other veggies you like...parsnips? Sweet potatoes? Spinach? The broth is the key to this soup so it's got to have flavor! After an hour of cooking, the chicken is removed and shredded...I only use the white meat and save the rest of the chicken for another dish.
Pho Ga - Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup - Me
1 whole chicken fryer, rinsed
16 cups water (or enough to completely cover chicken)
3 carrots, chopped
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1 leek, rinsed and sliced
1/2 head Napa cabbage, shredded
3 stalks celery
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 package (6 oz.) rice noodles
To serve:
fresh basil
bean sprouts
fresh limes
Hoisin Sauce
Sriracha Hot Sauce
In a large stock pot combine chicken, water, carrots, red pepper, onion, leek, cabbage, celery, broccoli, salt, pepper and bay leaf. Stir to combine. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook, covered, for 1 hour. Remove chicken to a platter, cut into bite-sized pieces or shred. (If you don't like over-cooked veggies, you can remove them, too, because really, all you need for Pho is the broth. You could strain the broth at this point, remove the veggies, and add fresh ones if you want them more crisp...your choice.) Return cut chicken to the pot (I only use the two chicken breasts and save the remaining chicken for another day.) Adjust seasonings if needed. Add rice noodles and bring to boil for 10 minutes. To serve, ladle up some noodles with a lot of broth and some veggies in a bowl - pass the basil, bean sprouts, limes, Hoisin and Sriracha sauce. Hoisin is sweet - like a sweet soy sauce - it's very good. Sriracha is not as hot as Tabasco, and it will add a nice little kick. Serves 6. (The picture below shows the Hoisin sauce and the Sriracha Sauce that has just been put on - it's not been mixed up yet - looks rather like an eel, doesn't it?)
“And Tom brought him chicken soup until he wanted to kill him. The lore has not died out of the world, and you will still find people who believe that soup will cure any hurt or illness and is no bad thing to have for the funeral either.” ~ John Steinbeck, East of Eden
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One year ago today: Maple Sugar Pie