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Just Pho the Taste of It
by Kalyn Denny[img_assist|fid=2790|thumb=1|alt=Pho]
Photo of Pho in Hanoi by Amy of Cooking with Amy.
It took me a few years to remember how to pronounce the name of Vietnam's famous noodle soup, Pho, and I still haven't tasted it. Two blog posts recently rekindled my longing to try the soup with the name that so many people can't pronounce.
It's "fuh" or "fuhr" with the softest "r" sound imaginable, and not "foe," with the name causing endless bad jokes, including the one in my title. Whatever you call it, this is a dish that people rave about. What's the fuss you say? Soup with noodles?
Amy of Cooking with Amy is traveling in Vietnam and unravels the mystery a little with a post about Pho 24, a well-known Vietnamese restaurant chain which reveals the name comes from the fact that Pho has 24 ingredients and takes 24 hours to make. Amy says
It's basically four elements--broth, noodles some kind of meat and fresh garnishes that often consist of fresh herbs and chilies. The quality of the broth is key. It can be flavored with spices like star anise and cinnamon or not. It varies all over Vietnam but the beef version is famous here in Hanoi.
If you're adventurous it would be great fun to try making it yourself. Anh of Food Lover's Journey is a Vietnamese woman living in Australia and she recently posted about her love for Pho Bo or Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup. Anh includes an amazing recipe for Pho Bo which reveals why the flavor is so complex. Here's what Anh says abut Pho:
Pho is perhaps the most well-known Vietnamese dish. Originated from Nam Dinh, a small city in Northern Vietnam, but it is in Hanoi that the art of pho has been perfected. I have eaten pho in different areas of Vietnam and overseas, and trust me; the only place where you can truly savour the best pho is in Hanoi. The few best pho restaurants have their family secret recipes that make them stand out. Not all pho restaurants in Hanoi are good, but the good ones there are world best.
Have you eaten Pho? If so, do you think it's as remarkable as people say?
Contributing editor Kalyn Denny of Kalyn's Kitchen wishes she could taste Pho in Vietnam or in Anh's kitchen in Australia, but will probably have to settle for a Vietnamese restaurant in West Salt Lake City. Still, she's looking forward to it.
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absolutely
Delicious, fast and cheap. Even mediocre pho is good pho as far as my family is concerned (the kids love it too). We have a little ritual of going for pho after Thursday swimming lessons. We all look forward to it.
laurie
www.notjustaboutcancer.blogspot.com
Sounds Perfect
It sounds like the perfect dinner for the whole family. I got an e-mail from someone who read this on Blogher, tracked me down through my food blog, and told me a place that supposedly has the best Pho in Salt Lake. Can't wait to try it.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
We have the same tradition :-)
Only it tends to be for lunch on Saturdays. The kids are crazy for Pho (fur?) and sushi. Give 'em one or the other & they're happy campers (which in turn makes for happy parents!).
Vero.
Blogging at Little Elephants
Too good for words
I was introduced to Pho by a co-worker. It is so good. I feel cheated by discovering it so late. There are a million and one Pho places in California so I'm guessing if you did a quick web search you could probably find one in your area.
I've never had the privilege of eating Pho in Vietnam, but the stuff in the SF Bay is really good. My favorite part is adding my own hot sauce, lime, sprouts and oyster sauce. Some days I feel extra spicy so I lay the hot sauce and lime on heavy. Other days I want sweet so I 'muddy the waters' by adding more oyster sauce. Of course, the broth alone has plenty of flavors (I've heard is made with 32 ingredients), but the fact that I can make a personal experience each time is awesome.
I recommend this place: Pho Vi Hoa Good food, good prices.
XICANISTA
xicanista.blogspot.com
http://www.xicanista.net
Love Pho
Yum! One of my favorites. I tried making it at home but it was time consuming and required lots of spices that I didn't use for anything else (like star anise). So it was faster, cheaper, easier and far more tasty to not make it myself.
Fortunately it seems to be easier to find around the country. One of my favorite places is in Philadelphia. But Xicanista is right, we Californians are fortunate in that tasty Pho can be found practically on every corner in the Bay Area and hit the jackpot in Southern California's Little Saigon where signs on the freeway guide you.
Hey Kalyn,
Hey Kalyn,
How funny -- I just blogged about faux pho last night -- as a tribute to the inventor of instant ramen! We love it -- both the faux and the real, or I should say as real as we can find here in Portland. The place we go to is called Pho Van on the east side of the city and it was recommended to us by one of Dave's culinary teachers, so it's definitely got a good rep. Some day we'll try to make the real stuff at home from scratch. (Right now we're just a tad bit too lazy!)
-MizD
Belly Timber
Playing with our food since 2005
Pho in So Cal
Though not the best Pho I have ever had, you'll have to appreciate the name of this place in the Westminster/Fountain Valley area (near Little Saigon) I went to a couple of months ago: "What the Pho?"
Note to self
From these comments it sounds like there are lots of places to get great Pho on the West Coast. I must remember that the next time I go see my fabulous brother who lives in Venice Beach!
Mz. D, I have Anh's recipe in my del.icio.us cookbook when you're ready to tackle the from-scratch version.
Kalyn Denny
Kalyn's Kitchen
Love Pho
... and Americans have screwed up the name so you can call it FO and the restaurants will take your money. It's the best comfort food there is. I cannot explain how good this soup is. I live across the street from a Vietnamese restaurant and could use a bowl of Pho right now.