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Vietnamese Chicken Pho

Prep Time:

10 Mins

Cook Time:

1 hour 30 Mins

Serves:

5 Servings

Level:

About the Recipe

Chicken Pho – called Pho Ga in Vietnamese – is the chicken version of Beef Pho, Vietnam’s most famous food export.
The magic of Pho is that while the broth looks completely unassuming, it’s actually full of complex-yet-delicate spice infused flavours. That special something-something that makes it unforgettable, and you just can’t stop eating it.

Ingredients

1 tbsp oil , vegetable or canola (or other plain oil)

2 onions , halved (skin on fine)

5cm/ 2" piece of ginger , sliced 0.75cm / 1/3" thick (unpeeled)

2 litres / 2 quarts water

1.5 kg / 3 lb chicken thighs, bone in skin on (Note 1)

1 small bunch coriander/cilantro (Note 2)

5 star anise pods (was short in photo & video!)

1 cinnamon stick

4 cloves

2 tsp fennel seeds

2 tsp coriander seeds

8 tsp fish sauce

6 tsp white sugar

3/4 tsp salt (Cooking/kosher salt, or 1/2 tsp table salt)

360g / 13 oz dried rice noodles , thin flat (or 600g fresh)

2 green onions stems , finely sliced

Preparation

Step 1


Char onion & ginger - Heat oil in a 6 litre / 6 quart pot (Note 5) over high heat. Place ginger and onion facedown, leave undisturbed for 2 minutes until they blacken. Turn and leave for another 2 minutes.



Step 2


Put everything in pot - Add water and remaining Broth ingredients EXCEPT salt. Bring it a simmer, then lower heat so it's simmering VERY gently with the lid on, but open a crack



Step 3


Simmer gently 1.5 hours. Scoop off scum (dirty foam) that rises to surface once or twice during the simmering.



Step 4


Strain & measure - Remove chicken, then strain broth into a clean pot - you should have 1.5 litres / 1.5 quarts. If you have more, simmer to reduce. If less, top it up with water.


Step 5


Salt broth - Add salt, bring broth to a gentle simmer. Broth should be slightly on the salty side - it dilutes when you add the noodles.


Step 6


Shred chicken meat, discard bones and skin

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