My International Lunch Ladies started it! They meet every other month at the Cookery for lunch. We decide on a date and then they pick a country. I come up with the menu and surprise them. It’s fun for me and fun for them. A small town in the Midwest does not offer many ethnic restaurants.
In November when they had chosen Vietnamese as the next cuisine, I knew I needed to do some research. I had made summer rolls with fresh salad ingredients, shrimp and rice paper wrappers. That would be the first course. Then to make pho. A trip to visit my family in Orange County was the perfect opportunity to taste pho in Little Saigon. We went to a wonderful restaurant, Pho 79 in The Asian Garden Mall. Our waiter was great. He told us what to eat with what and how to enjoy our bowl of pho. Sneaking peeks at our fellow noodle slurpers gave us some newfound techniques to get the noodles into our mouths with chopsticks and the broth with an Asian soup spoon. (I need much more practice!) I love all the gorgeous colors and fresh tastes of the herbs and condiments. My grandchildren loved the noodles, and “cooking” at the table. Combining just the right mix for each bite, tearing up herbs to throw into the soup, or trying to maneuver those chopsticks and slippery noodles! We were hooked.
While I returned home to make a Vietnamese lunch for my group, Aaron and Priscilla had discovered a new cuisine that they thoroughly enjoyed. They are now sampling pho near and far from their home, checking out all the hot spots in the city.
Funny how something like this expands. Pho has been around for hundreds of years, enjoyed as a street food for breakfast or a snack in Vietnam. It’s new to me. Something relatively obscured is popping up everywhere! After my trip I was catching up on the podcasts I listen to. On Good Food, Evan Kleiman had an interview about the best Pho in town. And then settling down for some good old Tony Bourdain watching on No Reservations, there he was hunting down pho in St. Petersburg, Russia! It’s everywhere!! Glad I finally woke up to it. Thanks ladies, for starting the noodle slurping!
I’m sure this is not authentic, as I did not have all the ingredients called for in many recipes I found. Like…there were no ox tails in the meat case the day I went to shop. I’m sure I could order them. I remember my grandma making ox-tail soup. But….this is my version. It’s still pretty good…
Pho
Serves 8
Prep time: active, about an hour…simmering and over night—allow 2 days
Stock
1 3-inch piece ginger, unpeeled
1 medium onion, unpeeled
4-5 pounds beef bones
2 pounds shank bones with meat
2 pounds chuck roast
5 star anise
2 cinnamon sticks
Over an open flame, place the ginger and onion on a gas burner. Turn occasionally until blackened on all sides. In a large stock pot, place the ginger and onion, beef bones and shank bones. Cover with cold water. Bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that forms on top. Lower the heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Strain into a large container and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate over night. The fat will congeal on top and can be removed.
The next day pour the rich stock back into the clean stockpot. Add the chuck roast, star anise and cinnamon sticks. Simmer for 2 hours, or until tender. Remove the meat and slice thinly. Keep the broth on a low simmer until serving.
In the mean time prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Assembly
1 pound rice noodles, softened in boiling water
3 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 carrots, shredded
2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed, crisped with ice water, drained, and dried on a towel
1 small head Napa cabbage, sliced
1 large bunch basil
1 large bunch mint
1 large bunch cilantro
2 jalapenos, thinly sliced
2 cucumbers, sliced
Condiments
Fish sauce
Soy sauce
Hot sauce
Hoisin sauce
When read to serve, dish up a portion of rice noodles, top with some beef and ladle on the hot broth. Garnish with sliced scallions. Serve at the table with a big platter of vegetables, herbs and condiments for each guest to add to their own bowl.
Serves 8
This is the most common: beef pho, but they also served chicken and shrimp at the restaurant. I’m sure there are hundreds of versions..so make it the way you like. That’s the beauty of it. Remember…..I’m just a newbe!
