Peking Duck Pho
The fresh bean sprouts, chilli and greens are marvellous with the rich spicy broth and noodles. The next book “Outer Spaice” will have a recipe for Peking Duck Pho which uses the carcass of the duck. I grew up in Sydney, Australia & had many Vietnamese friends at school & in later life. Many of them came as refugees, & back then we called them the “boat people” because they came to Australia in boats. This led to an explosion of Vietnamese cuisine and some of the best noodle places anywhere in the world. A place called Pho Pasteur in Bankstown was a particular favourite. The correct way to pronounce it is “fa”, but most people don’t know what you’re talking about – so I just pronounce it “foe” now to save time. Essentially, Pho is a spicy broth with rice noodles, and the variations of what it contains are endless – but here are the basics. Most will have either prawns (peeled & deveined); beef, chicken or pork – cut into thin slices (freeze them a bit to make slicing easier), or any compilation of the above.
Ingredients:
Broth:
– 1 large onion, peeled and halved
– 8cm piece of fresh ginger, halved lengthwise
– 5 star anise
– 4 whole cloves
– 3x 8cm cinnamon sticks
– 2 cardamom pods
– 1 tablespoon of whole coriander seeds
– 1 litre of beef stock – chicken or vegetable for chicken or prawns
– 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
– 2 teaspoons of fish sauce & sea salt to taste
Soup:
– 250g meat or prawns
– 250g 5mm wide rice noodles
– Coriander
– Mint
– Thai Basil
– Beansprouts
– Sliced chillies
– Sliced green onion
Method:
1. Chop the onions and ginger – with the grill not so high, grill them 20cm away from the element. Place them cut side up on a baking tray. Douse them with some olive oil & grill for 8-12 mins until the tops are slightly charred. Set these aside (you can alternatively cook these cut sides down in a sauté pan).
2. Make the broth. In a large pot, heat the spices on a medium heat for about 4-5 minutes until fragrant (careful not to burn).
3. Add the sock, onions & ginger and stir & heat to a simmer.
4. Reduce the heat and cover with a lid and simmer for at least 30 mins.
5. Strain out the solids & discard. Add the fish sauce, and brown sugar, stir, taste & season with salt as desired – continue to simmer.
6. Prep the noodles, there are several different ways to do so but they usually have instructions on the pack. Add a little oil & salt to the water to avoid sticking. Drain in a colander & rinse in cold water.
7. Prepare the bowls by filling with noodles, then add meat to your simmering broth and increase the heat a little. Cook for a minute, remove from heat & ladle into bowls containing noodles.
8. Serve with garnishes on the side so people can add as they desire. Place lime and lemon wedges, chilli oil & siracha on the table for people to add to their desired taste. I also have fish sauce on the side as well. Traditionally the raw meat & noodles are placed in the bowl and broth cooks them, but it’s not worth the risk.
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