Pho Ga~Chicken Noodle Soup

“Pho (pronounced ‘fir’) is the quintessential Vietnamese dish, traditionally made with beef broth but there are many variations too. Here, I have a recipe for Pho Ga or Chicken Noodle Soup. This delicious herby soup takes a while to make, but, with very little effort though. Try this easy soup noodle recipe and serve with a plate of fresh herbs, chopped chili, and slices of lime on the side.

Pho Ga~Chicken Noodle Soup

Ingredients

300 g Rice Noodles (cooked as per manufacturer’s instructions)
2 Pieces Skinless and Boneless Chicken Breasts, blanched
Bean Sprouts, lightly blanched
1 Red Onion, peeled and thinly sliced
Asian/Thai Basil
Fresh Coriander Leaves
Red or Thai Chilies, sliced
Lime Wedges

Fish Sauce, if necessary

Soup Base

1 ½ Kg Chicken Carcass and Legs, blanched
12 Cups Water
1 Yellow Onion, charred, and peeled
1 Piece Ginger (about 2 ½ inches), charred, and peeled
1 Small Daikon, chopped
4 Star Anise, toasted
4 Whole Cloves, toasted
1 Pc Cassia Bark, toasted
15 White Peppercorns, toasted
5 Tbsp Fish Sauce
35 g Rock Sugar
Sea Salt, to taste

Method

Make the soup base; combine the chicken bones and legs, onion, ginger, daikon, star anise, cloves, Cassia bark, and peppercorns, in a large stockpot. Bring the stock to a boil, lower the heat, skimming frequently, and simmer for about 1 ½ hour.

Strain the stock into another pot and mix in the fish sauce, rock sugar, and the blanched chicken breast. Bring it back to the boil, reduce heat and simmer for another 20 minutes. Remove the chicken breast, and let cool before shredding the meat. Continue to simmer the soup for another 20 minutes, and then season the soup with sea salt.

To serve; divide the cooked rice noodles among 6 bowls. Top each with the broth, chicken meat, herbs, bean sprouts, onion, chilies, lime wedges, and some fish sauce, if desired.

Serves 6