Making pho isn’t hard, but it definitely takes lots of ingredients and a chunk of your time if you want exquisite broth. Let’s get started. You’re going to need 6 pieces of chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs, 2 packs of rice noodles, ginger, lime, bean sprouts, basil, cilantro, onions, star anise, cinnamon sticks, garlic, fish sauce, salt, sugar, and oyster sauce which you can find by hovering over and clicking each of the ingredients above.
First, if you bought dried rice noodles, soak it in a bowl of water so it absorbs, expands, and takes away the starchy taste and texture. Let it sit for a few minutes until it’s flexible. While you’re waiting for that, you can prep your other ingredients. Peel off the ginger skin. Use a spoon to scrape it off easily. Next, cut your onions in half and peel that skin off too. Then boil a gallon of water in a big pot.
While you’re waiting for the water to boil, heat up your pan as well and add some olive oil in there. You will be stir frying your onions and ginger. Wait until the bottom starts turning a tint of brown, then flip it over.
Chop up your green onions and garlic cloves as you wait for the water and the pan to heat up. Then wash your bean sprouts and put it to the side. Cut up your raw chicken into smaller pieces.
By this time, your water should be ready and boiling. Add all the chicken parts that you bought in there as well as the onions and ginger. Then sprinkle a pinch of whole cloves into the pot to get a spicy-sweet flavor. Grab a handful of star anise and add that in as well. Cumin seeds add an earthy flavor so spread a teaspoon of that in. And yes, also put the same amount of fennel seeds. Oh, and don’t forget a couple of cinnamon sticks and fish sauce and sugar.
Let everything boil on high for 1 hour and then bring it down to simmer for another hour. As you wait, wash your basil and cilantro in a bowl of water and let it soak.
Add a pinch of salt if the fish sauce isn’t salty enough. After awhile, you will see that the surface will have some impurities. Scoop it out with a spoon so your broth is nice and clear on the top. Then use your strainer and extract the chicken, onion, and ginger from the soup. Pick out the chicken bones, onion, and ginger and put the chicken in a separate container. I like to keep the tendon because it has collagen that’s good for your skin.
Drain the water from your noodles. By this time, it should be soft. Put a handful into boiling water to make it even softer for 2-3 minutes. Then rinse it out again with cold water and place it in your bowl and add some chicken and green onion. Lastly, add your broth into your bowl.
Don’t forget to cut the lime into pieces and put the washed cilantro, basil, and bean sprouts onto a separate plate to add to your dish later. And that’s it! Enjoy your feast and let me know how your meal turns out!
Learn how to make quick delicious sushi at home by clicking here.