Pho Recipe & Pho T-Shirts

Pho Bo (Hanoi Beef Noodle Soup) Recipe

* 6 cups beef broth
* 1 (1/4-inch thick) slice ginger
* 2 whole star anise*
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1/2 pound piece boneless beef sirloin, trimmed of any fat
* 3 ounces dried flat rice noodles*
* 1/4 cup Asian fish sauce*
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 1 cup fresh bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
* 1/8 cup minced scallions
* 1/4 cup fresh cilantro sprigs, washed and finely chopped
* 1 small thin fresh red or green Asian chilie, sliced very thin
* 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
* Lime wedges for garnish

*Available at Asian Markets

In a 2 quart saucepan bring broth, ginger, star anise, and cinnamon to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

With a very sharp knife cut sirloin across the grain into very thin slices.

In a large bowl soak noodles in hot water to cover 15 minutes, or until softened and pliable.
While noodles are soaking, bring a kettle of salted water to a boil for noodles. Drain noodles in a colander and cook in boiling water, stirring 45 seconds, or until tender. Drain noodles in a colander. Set aside.

Strain broth into saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in fish sauce, salt and pepper. Add sirloin and sprouts and cook 30 to 45 seconds, or until sirloin changes color. Skim any froth from soup.

To serve, divide noodles into 4 bowls. Ladle soup over noodles. Sprinkle scallion greens, cilantro, chilies and basil over soup and serve with lime wedges


Pho T-Shirts


$25.00 Got Pho? Shirt

* 4.3 oz. Ultra-fine combed ring spun cotton
* Vintage fit (size up for a looser fit)
* Made in the U.S.A.

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Pho

Pho, pronounced “fuuh” is the national dish of Vietnam. It’s a highly-flavoured beef broth with noodles, garnished with a selection of fresh herbs and condiments. A typical pho is served with a platter containing slivered red chillis, fresh limes, onion, coriander and mint. The diner is also provided with a selection of condiments including nuoc mam (Vietnamese fish sauce), soy bean paste, chilli sauce and white pepper. The idea is that the diner is able to adjust the dish according to their own taste. It’s usually a breakfast dish, but it is eaten at all hours of the day.

My first pho encounter was at a famous Saigon chain restaurant called Pho 24. It’s founders vision was to take street food indoors, offering diners a clean, air-conditioned environment to experience this great street food. We ordered two large bowls which comes with two types of beef: brisket and fillet, brisket offering lots more flavour and fillet practically melting into the soup. The beef is barely cooked, the chef dipping the meat into a ladle of hot broth, just before serving. This ensure the beef is still tender and slightly rare.


The star of the show is the dish of garnishes. Vietnamese red chillis are seriously hot! Vietnamese mint doesn’t taste like our common or garden mint; rather it tastes a little like liquorice. I exercised no restraint with my choice of garnishes. Everything went in; all the herbs and beansprouts pictured above, some chilli sauce and huge blob of soy bean paste. It was absolutely delicious, I’d recommend you visit Pho 24 if you find yourself in Saigon or Hanoi. Just be careful when you receive the bill; I ate here 3 times in two different cities and every time I ended up with ‘extras’ added to my bill. Not huge amounts, a dollar or two, but enough to irritate me. (I understand that most people in Vietnam earn very little money, but I’m the kind of tourist who’ll gladly tip if I see someone putting some effort into the service. Just don’t steal from me!)

I also visited a place called Pho 2000 near Ben Thanh market whose claim to fame is that they fed no less than Bill Clinton. It’s true, his photo (in fact, several!) is on the wall of the restaurant. The pho here is pretty good too, the broth is stronger and tastier, but the meat was tougher. Somehow this place felt a little more authentic than Pho 24. Nice friendly service.

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Travel Vietnamese - eat "pho"

Vietnam is an agricultural civilization based on wet rice cultivation with ancient Dong Son culture as one of its defining aspects. The major stimulation of Vietnamese culture’s development comes from indigenous factors, with Chinese and Indian influence serving to further enrich it. Through history, Cham culture and the cultures of other minority ethnic groups in Vietnam have been integrated with Vietnamese culture in correlated effects. The official spoken and written language of Vietnam is Vietnamese.

Vietnam is considered a part of the East Asian Cultural Sphere, or Sinosphere, due to highly significant cultural influences from China throughout its history. In the socialist era, the cultural life of Vietnam has been deeply influenced by government-controlled media and the cultural influences of socialist programs. For many decades, foreign cultural influences were shunned and emphasis placed on appreciating and sharing the culture of communist nations such as the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and others. Since the 1990s, Vietnam has seen a greater exposure to Southeast Asian, European and American culture and media.

Vietnamese phở noodle soup is made by sliced rare beef and well done beef brisket. Rice noodles are noodles that are made from rice. Their principal ingredients are rice flour and water. However, sometimes other ingredients such as tapioca or corn starch are also added in order to improve the transparency or increase the gelatinous and chewy texture of the noodles.

Rice noodles are most commonly used in the cuisines of East and Southeast Asia, and are available fresh, frozen, or dried, in various shapes and thicknesses. In Tamil Nadu and parts of Kerala, Sri Lanka, Singapore, Malaysia, Idiappam, a type of rice noodle, is usually freshly made at home and tends to be far more tender with distinctive texture, as opposed to the dried form of Chinese noodles. A variation of Idiappam, known as sevai in Tamil Nadu, is used as the base in savoury preparations; it is also called santhakai or sandhavai in the Coimbatore region of Tamil Nadu. A similar mode of preparation called savige is popular in Karnataka.

Phở is served in a bowl with a specific cut of white rice noodles (called bánh phở’) in clear beef broth, with slim cuts of beef (steak, fatty flank, lean flank, brisket). Variations feature tendon, tripe, meatballs,chicken leg, chicken breast, or other chicken organs. “With the lot” (made with chicken broth and all or most of the shop’s chicken and cattle offerings, including chicken hearts and livers and beef tripe and tendons) is known as phở đặc biệt (“specialty phở”)

Vietnamese dishes are meals typically served with lots of greens, herbs, vegetables, and various other accompaniments such as dipping sauces, hot and spicy pastes, and flavor enhancements, such as a squeeze of lime or lemon. The dish is garnished with ingredients such as green onions, white onions, coriander, Thai basil (húng quế) (not be confused with sweet basil, Vietnamese: húng chó or húng dổi), fresh Thai chili peppers, lemon orlime wedges, bean sprouts, and coriander (ngò rí) or cilantro (ngò gai).

Several ingredients that are not generally served with phở may be ordered by request. Extra fatty broth (nước béo) can be ordered and comes with scallions to sweeten it. A popular side dish ordered upon request is hành dấm, or vinegared white onions. The dish is sometimes flavoured with cà cuống, which is a pheromone, collected from the male giant water bug.

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How to make chicken (pho') noodle soup

1.

Use the chicken stock to cook partially water use, most goods are sold separately chicken head chicken. 1 kg of standard distribution use cleaning the chicken stock (squeeze blood bruises, viscosity) tunnel with 5 liters of water 200g onions, peeled shrimp 1 cup tablespoons salt. Simmer stew, but not to boiling hot flare slightly stunned, picked right from the continuous foam bubbles up, if for boiling bubble burst will be routed back into the water make the water cloudy. Tunnel of about 2 hours until you see the chicken as soft as water to about age 4 liters of water used. Picked out the chicken bones, properly operating, water re-use strategy through a sieve. Want to have better water used in the comb once more through a clean cloth bag. If using a pressure cooker, the water tunnel will not wear much just cleaned properly boiled bones, one after the tunnel. Water used to cool, remove scum to float on its own fat into a bowl or the bowl, after removal of fat scum keep hot water on the stove.

2.

- In Vietnam, the type of chicken noodle soup are usually chosen as chicken farming (each about 1.3 to 1.7 kg) chicken meat of this had less fat than similar European and American chicken farming industry (each about 2 , 5 - 3 kg) lean not sure, a lot of fat.

- Chicken cleaning, custom cut for four or boiled whole for beautiful eyes (used to hook up for nice if business). Boil chicken in boiling water, for every kilo of chicken into a pot of boiling water, then add half a liter of boiling water. Chicken after boiling, take out to cool. Chicken parts as our primordial, cleaned gizzard, liver, heart ... and boiling in water.

3.

Chicken noodle soup spices used in somewhat similar but less spicy beef noodle soup and the quality better, lighter flavor. Spicy grilled onion first washed coal dust released into the water pot used for distribution of about 10 g to 1.5 liters of water. Distribution of only the distance since it depends on the quality of boiler water quality issue ... as well as your own sense of smell. But further down in a few grams is enough to flavor the broth fragrant.

- The spices include: Return (also known as anise - Anise), coriander seeds (seeds of the plant buds cilantro - Coriander), broken pieces of cinnamon bark (Cinnamon bark), cardamom (Cardamon). This spices to the pan, over low heat first gold stars, listen up and smell that is, not to fire. Customized to your taste, each made in reducing per pack 20g / 3 liters of water. Seasoning packet cloth nets, only columns, drop into the water pot used to cook low heat until the water smells pleasant, take a spice packet.

- On the spicy noodle soup is quite sensitive about every taste. If you want to taste your noodles as a flavor ... there not two, there is no other way that you have to try and decreasing cooking. For example in one package is 20g 6g cinnamon, cardamom 8g; repatriation 3g, 3g coriander seeds and a few other packages, you change the distribution amounts for each individual package and then try to cook with water and then tasted a certain smell, comparisons to reach its own decision. Note repatriation always make the evaluation using colored black (if you use a lot) so users with chicken noodle soup repatriation of at least compared to other spices or not.

- The latter is quite important that the water wedge. If you notice the taste of the soup was delicious are his flesh, seasoning salt ... then just add about 1 ½ teaspoon non / 1 liter of water. Be bold taste to water, not salty, the customers will own custom seasoning with fish sauce. Warmer water on the stove. (Here, please open a parenthesis on the issue that people use MSG North Vietnam known as seasoning, Hue called the crystal. Most of the Vietnamese in the U.S. for example is very limited and almost not in use MSG, but if you've eaten at Pho ... from North to South Vietnam, then confirm the most pho restaurants use MSG to taste more of the water used. Distribution of more or less depending on taste perception of cooking, custom calculation depends both business and customers because many pho shop in Hanoi to the cup is such sweet dough on the table for guests to add seasoning as you like. The harm in the use of MSG with the number and duration How is it that everyone knows but you miss the cooking noodles in the U.S. such that it just something missing from eating pho in Vietnam, this may be due to MSG!).

4.

Green onions, cilantro, onion, chopped. The bitter herbs such as basil, basil, cilantro hemp, maize. Black and red chili sauce, fresh lemon pepper. Sprout. Pure fish sauce to taste. Take the first part of the scallions. Thick or thin noodles.

5.

A chicken can phase out the meat here and you like to use each type or all.

- Boneless: Filtering out the breast meat, cut the thigh, cut along the thigh to get ripped ... Part lean meat cut into slices the skin slanted (slanted cut, the meat will be longer and more beautiful).

- Meat wings: Cut chicken wings into three songs in three out of bone, bone and bone in the wing tip. Custom songs using such resources or sharp knife edge to get every little lean and bone skin in this field.

- Pork chops: Preferences of chicken breast cut into small pieces with bones or just get the lean edge.

- Liver, gizzard sliced, individual primordial off a huge impact if both ovaries or to small.

6.

- For the auto 80g - 100g medium egg noodles with soft mesh patch. Optional parts containing meat, for little more face gear; the middle two, squeeze one side of bowl, cover at least the ... chopped parsley, used the filling from boiling meat to heat up again until tails on the water wheel, adding a little more of cilantro, sprinkle a little pepper powder added.

- If you want a fat chicken broth lightheadedness, get a little fat and how to separate water into a saucepan, water bowls want to just skim fat little more fat into a bowl. Where do need to go there, do not use grease in the pot too much water.

- Serve noodle dish with vegetables, bean sprout dish identical or not, black and red chili paste, fish sauce, lemon and fresh chilli.

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Pho BatDan – Ha Noi

"Re-bucket" - a noodle house shouting. A step up his pay, took the bucket and then re beef bowls on the table self-extracting. Prussia constant hot air burns your hands, but he seems happy customers too!

Hang up the progress after each step of the home pho reefs. I came to traditional brand noodles, No. 49 Bat Dan Street, Hoan Kiem District, it was 9 o'clock and consumer lines remain frozen to eat pho. After my long line of people out themselves.

But also do not have to wait long

Kitchen to the left signal pho noodle soup. A 50-year-old man carrying apron Trac cantering out five sets to cut the size of 5 kg of small slices, beside a woman for bread, meat and spices into a bowl and then pass for a young man standing behind bucket water noodle, sometimes for more firewood in the oven. But also do not have to wait long, about 5 minutes is my turn to pay and bring beef bowls on the table near re.

Surface water bowls floating fat layer of chopped leaves. Pho Hanoi is not served with genuine value, herbs, bay leaves, ngo gai ... as in Saigon. Spices can be added to the same fiery chili and lime. Mouth tasting noodle house just so you do not need more fish sauce. Thin noodles, meat is tender and fragrant, but especially near the very soft cooked to melt in the mouth to mouth.

Pho is one of the main breakfast dishes in Hanoi. One of my friend Ha Noi, said in Hanoi has many restaurants cook very tasty but people like to keep it in line to eat pho. You've also eaten here many times. Chao pho water once burned hands I made him mad you swear not to shop anymore. Yet the opportunity to visit Hanoi is how do you enlist a bowl.

So this traditional noodle shop is nothing special to pull people in line here? Observed relatively small restaurant, low-built house style of Hanoi, within a mere six sets of tables and chairs. From layout to appliances racing cars are popular, even with the slightly worn. Pub little tight compared to some diners at McDonald's out there. Why do not people see the ground or open more branches? Were not the noodle business acumen as Saigon?

According to my friend, 49 restaurants lining this forced from the 60s of last century, nearly half-century existence as the old customs are still almost unchanged. At that time, pho line is familiar images of Hanoi. It has become memories, ingrained in the memories of many generations.

Well, when the Hanoi pho line, remember to buy more newspapers to wait their turn to read, and it is important to be mixed in the cookery of the Ha Noi!
Bean vermicelli shrimp sauce - expensive gifts lunch guests

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"Pho 24" in Vietnam

Pho 24 is a noodle shop chain of 14 shops in Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Hue, Da Nang and Jakarta - Indonesia from the time of July 2005. Some stores in the United States, Indonesia, Korea, Australia ... We are prepared to put into operation in 2006.

This is a chain of luxury restaurants and is on the rise of Vietnam due to product quality and unique business model, scalable. Long strategy of the company will continue to replicate restaurants in Vietnam and abroad through the sale of franchise and business cooperation.

In the first 2 years, through the first noodle shop, Pho 24, a strong focus on building uniformity throughout all phases of business operations for the purpose of Pho 24 strong foundation for the franchise term strategy term future. In other words, Pho 24 selected direction to focus on quality and depth of the general business model and franchise model in particular before expanding the width.

To ensure the legal procedures are tight in the first place, Pho 24 has invested significantly in the process of trademark registration and abroad, lawyer consultants drafting the franchise agreement sample ... The stage of organization, training, training is also taking steps to prepare the transfer and can effectively support the purchase of franchise partners. Pho 24 decision to apply the franchise business model, in which the partners bought the franchise brand franchise and is used to guide and train details how the organization, administration and management model Pho 24 restaurant has proven successful in the past 2 years.

Training programs for Pho 24 franchise partners to buy time for 2-3 weeks, including training at the training center of the group in the form of classroom theory and practical work at noodle shops. Buying a franchise partner is required to send at least one administrative staff, a kitchen and a staff representative to the training center to be free. The staff will then along with a team of corporate professionals trained all staff remaining franchise stores. Our Team of this Group will be present at the first franchise store opening and after at least 3 days.

To be granted the right to use trademark and operating a restaurant recipe Pho 24 with uniform standards, buying a franchise partner must pay the franchisor a Pho 24 initial fee (paid once only) plus a monthly fee. This monthly cost is the cost of using (or rather rent it) brands, trademarks and other support services such as promotions, advertising, marketing, training, consulting, ... from business owners Pho 24 performance during the five years of the franchise contract.

Due emphasis should develop depth before Pho 24 to accept the replication rate is much slower than the business needs of the market, and this also creates a risk to the franchisor: the the risk of competitors copying its business model. To cope with this risk, the franchisor Pho 24 just to polish their brand and build it strong because only brand that can not be copied. Network marketing and advertising coverage throughout the country is also an advantage that the new competition can not compared.

One of the tactical importance of branding Pho 24 is the continuous strengthening of stability and uniformity of chain restaurants, especially for food quality, service quality, interior, employee uniforms, signs and virtually all of the tools and equipment in the shop, though very small. Build a common culture throughout the company's class (central office, the company's stores, franchise stores ...) are also top priority.

The core management force is calculated based on size companies that want to strive for at least 2 to 3 years later. In other words, the policy must always prepare corporate training and recruiting sufficient skilled personnel and have experience relevant to companies willing to take 2-3 years time, not when you need a new start recruitment. Thus the cost of the administration, operating ahead always seems to be bulky compared to the noodle shop business!

One of the biggest challenges facing Pho 24 in the process lies in the franchise without the franchise partners who bought the operator of franchised restaurants. Indeed, despite all the restaurants are franchised to comply with the standards of Pho 24, but if the owner does not care or lack of experience because only a single investor is difficult to make decisions Such right and franchise business model will not achieve optimal results, influenced more or less to the overall brand image. Conversely, in some instances where buying a franchise partner with experience in the areas restaurants tend to do their way, since his was so pure.

Training staff or management staff training is not difficult, and guide the new franchise restaurants is really a big problem because they both are just as investors and partners often do not have much time employees. And for the food industry, the bartender plays a crucial role. Therefore, the study documents and interview to "choose to send in gold" to buy a franchise partner must be placed on top. But like the selection of employees, whether the test was over very carefully, but companies can still choose the "wrong" people. And this is a risk, a price to pay for the franchisor to sell franchises.

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Pho Recipe

Assemble These Ingredients: 

3 medium unpeeled yellow onions (approx 1 pound)
4-inch piece unpeeled ginger (approx 4 ounces)
5 to 6 pounds beef soup bones (leg and knuckle bones - have butcher cut into 2-3 in sections)
1 lb flank steak. cut into bite-sized pieces.
5 star anise
6 whole cloves
3-inch cinnamon stick
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup Hot chili sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
Freshly ground Black pepper
1 ounce rock sugar (duong phen) or 1 tablespoon white sugar
For The Bowl Itself:
1/2 lb sirloin or round steak
1 TBS Cilantro-chopped
2 14 ounce packages of small ( 1/8-inch wide) dried or fresh banh pho noodles
2-3 scallions, with green tops sliced into small rings.
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
2 Limes cut in wedges
1 bunch Fresh mint
1 bunch Fresh Asian or regular basil
2 Fresh chili peppers, thinly sliced (Thai dragon or bird preferred)
To Make The Broth:
Char 2 of the onions (reserve the other onion for bowl preparation) and ginger over an open flame to release essential oils and fragrances. They do not need to be blackened - only char to soften. (This can be done under a broiler if no open flame is available). Remove skin and blackened pieces from onions and ginger, remove stem ends from onions and discard. Set aside.
In a large stock pot, place leg bones and enough cold water to cover. Bring to a rolling boil, and boil approximately 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat, and rinse under cold running water. Thoroughly clean stock pot, and return cleaned bones to pot. Add 6 quarts of water bring to a rolling boil, and reduce to a gentle simmer. Add onions, ginger, star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cut up flank steak, salt, fish sauce, and rock sugar. Simmer about 1 1/2 hours, and remove flank steak. (Steak should be done through but chewy) Cool steak in bowl of cold water to keep it from drying out and turning brown. Refrigerate flank steak. Continue simmering broth for approximately 3 hours, skimming scum and fat from broth occasionally, and stirring bones from time to time.
When done, strain broth through double-folded cheesecloth in a colander to remove any impurities and pieces of tendon. Discard bones. To make preparation of Pho much easier, refrigerate broth overnight. When cold, any excess fat can be easily removed from the cold broth. The idea here is to have a very clear, fat-free broth.
To Prepare The Bowls:

Slice the sirloin or round steak against the grain in very thin slices.
(Freezing for a half-hour makes this easier)
Thinly slice cooked flank steak
Heat broth to boiling over medium heat.
Blanch noodles in 3-4 quarts of boiling water, and use a strainer to remove each bowl portion. Blanching should only take about 10-20 seconds, until the noodles have lost their stiffness, and are easily managed.
If using fresh noodles, simply untangle and rinse in cold water.
Blanch bean sprouts in same water until wilted but crunchy.
Fill each bowl approximately 1/4 full with noodles, place cooked flank steak and slices of raw sirloin or round steak on top of noodles. Garnish this with sliced scallions, thinly sliced onions, and chopped cilantro.
Ladle seasoned broth into bowl. The idea here is to have the boiling broth cook the thinly sliced raw steak. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
A garnish plate is served with the completed Pho. It is customary for the diner to pull the leaves from the stalk of the basil and mint to season their meal. Take thinly sliced peppers, swirl them into the soup for added flavor. Add the slice of pepper if you like it very spicy. Lime wedges are used to add a tartness to the soup. Bean sprouts are also used as a garnish.
This variation of Pho is typically served in South Viet Nam. In the North, Pho is a much simpler dish, minus a lot of the ingredients found in this recipe. In the North, Pho is served without the herbs and bean sprouts. Green chilies and lime only are used as condiments. In the South, Pho can be served with a dozen different ingredients.
Pho has become very popular in the United States. There are at last count over 500 Pho restaurants scattered across the US. Pho is often served with spring rolls and egg rolls.

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