Since I am feeding 2 boys in my own kitchen, preparing dinner for them daily is one of my major tasks (unless we are going to eat out). And recipes from the internet (from Mr. Google and Ms. You tube) or from my cook books are what seem to be my great kitchen assistants. I love to test recipes every now and then since we love to try dishes from different cuisines at home. And recently, I saw this PHO GA – Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup post from Ms. Tina Pham while I was looking for a hot dinner recipe since all of us were not feeling well during that time. And we all love Vietnamese noodle soup! So this actually looks like a nice recipe to try and from the looks of it, I think I can cook it. Since not all ingredients from Ms. Tina Pham’s recipe are available from our nearest supermarket, I adjusted some of the ingredients based on my own taste and budget. You can check out the original recipe from her site if ever you want to try the original version.
But if you want to try my own version, you are very welcome to do so. 🙂 My boys actually loved it and they are requesting for a part 2 next week. : ) Enjoy!
INGREDIENTS for Phở Gà – Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup
Estimated Servings: 4-5
Step 1: Cook the broth
16 cups water
3 inches ginger
5 small peeled white onion (small/shallot)
2 ½ tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
5 pcs regular size sliced chicken (thigh and breast part)
2 pcs knorr chicken cubes
– Boil the water, add salt, sugar, toast ginger and onion and the chicken.
– I didn’t roast the ginger and onions in the microwave (as instructed from Ms. Tina’s video) because I don’t have one. 🙂 So, I toasted it in a pan instead.
– Simmer the broth at low heat for 10 minutes and skim the scum. And let it simmer again for another few minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.
– I added chicken cubes since I only bought just enough chicken for us. And since the essence of chicken was still not there after a long period of putting it to a boil, I decided to improvise. 🙂
Step 2: Toast the spices
5 star anise
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
– I didn’t find any coriander seeds, cloves and cumin seeds while shopping so, I just omit it from the recipe.
– Anyways, I toasted the anise, cinnamon stick and black peppercorn until I can smell its aroma and then added it into the broth.
Step 3: Boil the noodles
1 package Phởnoodles
8 cups water
– Follow the packaging directions. Rinse and drain.
Step 4: Assemble the dish
Fresh basil
Bean sprouts
Cilantro ( A lot!!)
Lemon wedges
½ cup sliced red shallots
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Chili Garlic Sauce
Hoisin Sauce
– Wash and clean all the vegetables and prepare it on a separate plate.
– Since our little boy doesn’t like basil and cilantro, we put in separate containers and decided to just add the herbs to our own tastes.
It was indeed a great meal. Thank’s to Ms. Tina for the great recipe. I will be adding this to our BIG Recipe book. : )
If you want to become a great chef, you have to work with great chefs. And that’s exactly what I did. -Gordon Ramsay
My Orange Toque 