Vietnamese chicken pho
In Vietnam this is made with freshly cookedchicken – the aromatics added as the chicken simmers – but I make it with stock(flavouring it with aromatics) and add leftover chicken. It’s a brilliant wayto make the best of a small amount of meat. Everything depends on the broth, whichshould be golden and fragrant; a rich stock, made with a carcass and theaddition of chicken wings, is especially good The embellishments –the herbs, shallots, chillies and beansprouts – should be added by diners atthe table and you should offer wedges of lime, too, so people can season theirpho to taste. That way, everything stays fresh and crisp. Offer Asian chillisauce, such as sriracha, for people to add if they want. The noodles can becooked in the soup, but they make it cloudy which spoils the sense of freshness.
Ingredients
FOR THE PHO
- 1.2 litres 2 pints chicken stock
- 4 thin slices of root ginger
- ½ star anise
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 red chilli deseeded and finely sliced
- 125 g 4½oz dried rice noodles
- 250 ml 9fl oz groundnut oil
- 4 banana shallots or 7 regular shallots, peeled and sliced
- salt
- 4 tbsp fish sauce
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tsp caster sugar
- 200 g 7oz cooked chicken, torn into pieces
TO SERVE
- leaves from a bunch of Thai basil or regular basil, torn
- leaves from a bunch of coriander
- 4 spring onions chopped
- 100 g 3½oz beansprouts
- lime wedges
- 2 red chillies deseeded and finely sliced
Instructions
- Put the stock into a saucepan.
- Add the ginger, star anise, garlic and chilli.
- Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.
- Scoop out the ginger and star anise.
- Prepare the noodles according to the instructions on the packet.
- Now for the crispy shallots.
- Heat the oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat until it reaches 135°C (275°F) on a kitchen thermometer.
- Add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, otherwise they will cook unevenly, until golden.
- It will take about six minutes.
- Scoop them up with a slotted spoon and put them on a double thickness of absorbent kitchen paper.
- Set a heatproof bowl on a work surface and put a metal sieve (not a plastic one) on top of it (you will drain the shallots and oil in this after another frying).
- Increase the heat under the oil and, once it registers 190°C (375°F) on the thermometer, return the shallots and cook until they are crispy and well-browned.
- This happens quickly, so you have to work fast.
- Quickly and carefully pour the oil and shallots through the sieve to stop the shallots cooking, then transfer the shallots to a double thickness of kitchen paper.
- Leave so the paper can soak up the excess oil.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- You can keep these, stored in an airtight container, for two days, although they’re really better fresh.
- Add the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar to the broth and heat it, then add the chicken and warm through.
- Put the broth into bowls, adding some noodles, and serve.
- You should have the herbs, spring onions, beansprouts, lime wedges, chillies and crispy shallots on the table, ready for diners to finish off their own bowls as they like.
