Friday, January 30, 2009

In Pictures: Learning How to Make Un-pho-gettable Pho Bo


Although I am part Vietnamese, there are many Vietnamese foods that I grew up eating only in restaurants. Such dishes were simply were too much trouble to make at home because they required out-of-the ordinary or expensive ingredients (not readily available to my family in rural Arizona) or required many difficult cooking steps. To our family,
pho bo, or Vietnamese beef noodle soup was one of those foods. It was only consumed in restaurants, and never made at home. It required bean sprouts and basil (which are very rare in rural Arizona, and if we brought bean sprouts or basil back from our trips to Los Angeles, they would be wilted by the heat and miserable by the time we arrived back at home). It also required the chef to parboil the beef bones, to babysit a boiling pot for more than six hours, and to repeatedly skim off foamy scum and slippery pockets of uncoagulated oil. Pho bo was just simply easier and tastier to eat at the restaurants.


Despite these challenges, after living with my sister-in-law (who made
pho bo almost every Sunday), I decided to try my hand at making this laborious beef soup. Although these pictures might look delectable, there is a huge caveat: I am still learning how to make pho bo. There is still something off about the flavor of my soup. I think it may be too much star anise, and too little coriander seed. Perhaps I need more salt, and less fish sauce. But I will update you soon when I find the perfect proportions of spices. I may need to call my sister-in-law a few more times before I can finalize a recipe, but until then, check out Viet World Kitchen, Steamy Kitchen, Wandering Chopsticks, Holy Basil, or Food Network for great takes on pho bo.


I know you are thinking, "Where is the recipe?" Well, there is none yet, but I hope that in the meantime, these pictures inspire you to make
pho bo in the near future! Pho-shizzle!

27 comments:

  1. Hey PE - It'll be fun watching the evolution of Pho! It may not have tasted the way you wanted....but it sure looks Pho-to-genic! sorry....I couldn't help myself....

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  2. Very, very good one KirkK, you bring a smile to my face every time! :)

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  3. P.E.,

    Lookin' forward to your journey to pho-nomenal success. (OK, Kirk's was better). I tried to make it myself once and ended up cheating with MSG because it just didn't taste right.

    Suffice it to say, that was the first and last time I tried to do it myself.

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  4. Hm, perhaps MSG is a key ingredient Elmomonster? I didn't use it myself, but my pho tasted a bit to star anisey.

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  5. PE, I give you credit for at least trying. I love pho but don't know if I can ever make the broth the way they do it at the restaurants. Once I saw pho noodles at the store, and a can of pho broth! Yep, they have can broth specifically for pho. So I bought it along with some thin cut meat from the deli and fresh basil but in the end the broth from the can tasted thin and with no body. Luckily, I can get pho anywhere in the Bay Area. :)

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  6. I too have seen those cans of pho Chef Ben, and also the instant packets. I have used those instant packets, and they are quite tasty during a time of great hunger.

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  7. You learn about something new every day, can't wait to see how this soup comes about. You're leaving everyone hanging here:) Ive never heard of it, honestly.It certainly looks delicious!! I want to try some now.

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  8. I know Donna-FFW, sorry about the unfinished business in this post. Although the pho bo was quite good, it wasn't right. You should check out pho at a Vietnamese place near you!

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  9. That looks great. Once you've got the basics down, it's just a matter of experimenting until you reach the right proportions to suit your tastebuds. I tend to like more star anise myself. :P

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  10. Thank you so much Wandering Chopsticks, that means so much to me to hear you say that! Especially coming from you, it is a huge compliment!

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  11. I can't wait to hear about your pho experiences.

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  12. I'm so glad you posted this! I love pho and now probably have to get some for lunch :)

    Have fun with your pho experiments, hope we get to hear about them soon.

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  13. That's great that you are learning--sounds like challenge with a potentially fabulous-tasting result.

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  14. Hi
    I don't get to your blog often. But I like your writing style. Your pho photos ..... Your broth looks darker than the pho I ate today which had a full flavored broth

    I felt bad today due to drinks etc at a party last night. I was in low gear until I saw this entry which inspired me to go to a restaurant and eat pho. It set me right same as it has in the past. If you can make some good pho then you have really accomplished something. My game plan would be to make a few gallons of the broth then freeze some. The broth is obviously the key in pho

    I never eat pho the way the Vietnamese do. I'm a white guy (if it matters) I eat the broth first. I keep the sprouts and basil etc on the side and eat them like a salad. After the hot yummy broth I eat the rest. I always get the raw beef slices pho where the beef cooks a bit in the broth. I like to squirt a little sriracha on each beef slice before eating

    Best of luck
    Keep up the good work

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  15. that looks stunning! i can already taste the broth. sprouts + basil combined = perfection!

    lovely photo montage too. yes understandable about recipe development. my recipes are always evolving + the asian way of *homecooking* never/rarely involves measuring spoons/cups!

    oy vey ;-)

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  16. Yes Sara, I will be sure to share them!

    I will be doing more experimenting this week, I think OrangeHennesey, I just bought a whole bunch of beef bones!

    Experimenting is all the fun, when learning how to cook PilgrimChick, although, tasting the "failed" experiment may be torture sometimes.

    Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment Joey and for your kind words. It is very sweet of you to share your special pho eating method!

    I couldn't have put it better myself Taste Memory, it is basically always playing it by ear (or experience) with Asian cooks (especially our parents)!

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  17. Wow, can you come over and make that pho for me? It looks so good. :)

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  18. When I get the pho down right, I will do that PleasurePalate!

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  19. Pe, you are so ambitious! The photos certainly are inspiring and make me want to slurp noodle soup for lunch today... which of course I will gladly pay a professional for!

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  20. I would love to try making Pho! Will you share the recipe soon??

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  21. Haha, I would also gladly pay a professional too, because my pho is not that professional tasting Foodhoe!

    Ambitious, I just made beef stock the other day in anticipation for trying pho again, so I hope to perfect a recipe soon!

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  22. PE, that really looks tasty. Good thing you're not in a place like Alaska or you'd never find ingredients like rock sugar or fish sauce haha. I dont' even bother making this at home anymore – at $4.25 in Little Saigon, I'll save myself the effort. Xin nian kuai le to you.

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  23. We cheat with the canned broth too. It's not as good as at a restaurant, but for the convenience, I say pho-geddaboutit!

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  24. At those L.A. pho prices, yes, the effort is not worth it at all EatDrinkNBMerry, but it gives one a special pride to say, "I made pho!" Happy Lunar New Year to you and Jeni too!

    Hi JeffL! The beau and I miss you a lot and hope you are doing well! I have only heard urban legends about the canned stuff, but if you use it, it must be relatively good! Stay warm in the cold winter weather!

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  25. I never eat pho the way the Vietnamese do. I'm a white guy (if it matters) I eat the broth first. I keep the sprouts and basil etc on the side and eat them like a salad. After the hot yummy broth I eat the rest. I always get the raw beef slices pho where the beef cooks a bit in the broth. I like to squirt a little sriracha on each beef slice before eating

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  26. Those are some mouthwateringly gorgeous photos you've got there, yummm ;).
    As for the recipe, don't worry about it, I'm sure you'll get it. Thanks so much for the links to others who have found their own pho way.
    & I totally get you on the traditional food thing. The majority of Indian/ethnic dishes I've eaten were storebought/restaurant-made at least the first time I tried them. My parents will only ever go to Indian restaurants, and this stuff rarely ever gets made at home.

    ~Kurious Kitteh

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  27. i live in LA and cannot find canned pho broth ANYWHERE in my favorite asian markets in echo park or otherwise. does ANYONE know of anywhere i can get some?

    i usually spend my sunday's making it from scratch but would love a quick-fix for fun during the week.

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