Vietnam, in the collective imagination, is synonymous with the Vietnam War (1955-1975), the one seen in American films, read about in books, imagined through the extensive literature that accompanied it.
Today, Vietnam has nothing to do with Vietcong and more or less poor people living among the rice fields or in the forest; Vietnam is a flourishing nation on the rise economically. Functional, well-organized, with capitalism disguised as communism.
In 2017, I visited Hoi An, a splendid town that lights up with its lanterns at night, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once a crossroads of Sino-Japanese trade, and today a labyrinth of alleys and lanes filled with shops and restaurants.
If until then, Eastern gastronomy hadn’t thrilled me much, Vietnam made me appreciate and love its simplicity and lightness.
Vietnamese cuisine is based on the philosophy of the five elements, and all culinary traditions adhere to the same characteristics: freshness, softness, presence of herbs and broths, and a beautiful presentation. This attention to food ensures that Vietnamese cuisine is free of “heavy sauces,” as I call them, and is particularly healthy.
Thanks to my trip to Vietnam, I tasted real tofu, and now I can’t do without it!
But the recipe I’ve chosen is a soup, probably the most famous in the entire nation… Pho Soup!
It is a soup based on meat broth, enriched with the addition of ginger, onions, star anise, coriander, and pepper.
The soup is then garnished with rice noodles, usually dried (bánh phở), chili, scallions, chives, bean sprouts, and strips of raw meat that cook directly in the boiling broth.
The preparation is lengthy due to the slow cooking of the broth to enhance its flavor.
For the Vietnamese, it’s a typical breakfast dish, but on weekends, they also enjoy it for lunch.
The origin of pho dates back to the early 20th century in Northern Vietnam. It became popular worldwide following the Vietnam War and thanks to refugees.
You can also find the recipe in the book “In cibo veritas, creative and ethnic cuisine“, available in the shop.
Also on the blog, check out the version of:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Vietnamese
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs beef bones
- 14 oz beef (sirloin)
- 1 onion (whole)
- 1 onion (chopped)
- 2 bunches coriander (or parsley)
- 1 fresh ginger (about 0.8 inches)
- 1 star anise
- to taste whole black pepper
- to taste coarse salt
- 10.5 oz dried rice noodles (bánh phở: about 0.6 mm thick, 1.2-1.6 mm wide)
- 3.5 oz bean sprouts
- to taste fresh chilies
- 2 limes
- to taste Thai basil (optional)
- to taste mint (optional)
Preparation
Place the beef bones and the whole (or already sliced) meat in a large pot, cover with cold water, add the onions, a bunch of coriander (or parsley), the ginger, star anise, and pepper, and let cook over low heat for about 3 hours. Occasionally skim off the foam that forms on the surface. Add coarse salt halfway through cooking and water if the broth reduces too much.
Once the cooking time is over, strain the broth. Chop the aromatic herbs (basil, mint, and coriander) and put half in the broth and half directly on the table.
Slice the meat very thinly (if you haven’t already done so) and return it to the broth, reheat, and add the rice noodles, which you have cooked separately for a few minutes in a pot of salted boiling water.
In your bowl, place some noodles, a few slices of meat, and then cover with the broth.
A rule to follow in preparing the dish is the right proportion between noodles and broth: that is, 1/3 noodles and 2/3 broth.
Complete the dish with fresh bean sprouts, slices of hot chili, according to your taste, and some lime wedges, served on the side so everyone can choose their preferred quantities.
Finally, the abundant aromatic herbs.
Serve the Vietnamese pho always hot, to perfect the cooking of the noodles.
Be generous with the aromatic herbs, which are essential for making this soup flavorful. Use them in bunches, not just a few leaves.
Photos from the trip to Vietnam from November 9 to 19, 2017
TIPS FOR A PERFECT PHO SOUP:
You can enrich the Vietnamese pho by adding seafood, tofu, and meat or fishballs to make it even richer.
Serve the Vietnamese pho in small bowls and enjoy it, if you can, with chopsticks or wooden utensils, so as not to alter the flavor of the soup, and accompany it with a warm cup of green tea.
Serve the Vietnamese pho in small bowls and enjoy it, if you can, with chopsticks or wooden utensils, so as not to alter the flavor of the soup, and accompany it with a warm cup of green tea.
How about one of the best films about the Vietnam War in its “Final Cut” version?
Which film am I talking about?
Apocalypse Now Final Cut “The Collector”, blu ray 10.32 €
