PHO GA 2 WAYS (Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup)

Hi everyone, today I will introduce you to a classic Vietnamese dish, chicken pho in two versions, dry and broth based. By following the right steps and techniques, you can create both versions with this amazing chicken pho in the comfort of your own home. I will guide you through the process of preparing each component from creating a rich broth to preparing the chicken with glowy yellow skin and So let's get started. First, toast a teaspoon of white peppercorns, lime leaves, half a star anise, and a small piece of cinnamon over a small saucepan over medium-low heat for about three minutes until the leaves are wilted and dried. Next, grill half an onion, a thumb-sized knob of ginger, and five shallots until charred. If you have some coriander roots, place them on the grill too. After that, scrape off the charred bits on the aromatics. Your whole kitchen should be now filled with the amazing fragrance. When they are nice and clean, insert them into a tea filter bag or wrap them nicely in a piece of cheesecloth. Don't forget the toasted spices too. If the bags are not large enough, you can leave out the onion and ginger which I will cut into slices. Now add the chicken into a large soup pot filled with enough water to cover. For a quick dinner today, I just use a few chicken quarters. Bring to a boil and add the aromatics and the toasted spices. Cook until the chicken is done. That's when you pierce into the thickest part of the drumsticks and see no pink water coming out. Transfer the chicken into an ice water bath, then debone and cut into bite-sized pieces. To make the skin look brighter, you can brush it with some turmeric-infused oil which is made by heating oil with some turmeric powder. Next, stack up the lime leaves and roll into a cigar. Use a rubber band to secure it tight. This way it will be easier to cut them into very fine threads. This is a trick I learned from a local food shop owner. For garnish, I will chop up some coriander and cut the scallion heads in half or in quarters. Also chop up the green parts of scallion and finely slice the onion. Season the broth with fish sauce and salt to your taste. And let's now assemble the noodle bowls. Warm up the flat rice noodles by blanching in hot water. Top with the chicken meat and sprinkle the lime leaf threads over. Garnish with the chopped coriander and sliced onion. Place the scallion head on the ladle and submerge in the hot broth. Then ladle the aromatic broth over the noodle bowl. You will serve this with a side platter of salted herbs and coriander, Asian basil, and blanched bean sprouts to your liking, some sliced chilies, lime wedges, and hot sauce. And let's dig in! For the dry version, you will need to make an extra sauce. First, soak 20g of tamarind pulp in hot water. Fry some minced shallot and garlic in a small saucepan until fragrant. Add the tamarind juice, chicken broth, and soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, some corn starch or tapioca starch slurry to thicken up the sauce. Blanch some bean sprouts in hot water and add to the noodle bowl. Drizzle the sauce over. Toss well until combined and coat the noodles with the sauce. Top with the chicken pieces, more bean sprouts, the lime leaf shreds, and fried shallot. Don't forget the chopped coriander and crushed roasted peanuts. Mix well before serving and you can also serve a small bowl of the broth at the side for cleansing the palate between each bite. There you have it! Phở Gà in two versions, dry and broth based. Let me know which one you prefer in the comment section below. Don't forget to subscribe to come back for more. See you then next time! Bye!