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+ servings

Pho Gà

Pho Ga Recipe From Jiggers n' Drams
Vietnamese Chicken Soup
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Asian, Vietnamese
Servings 4

Equipment

  • One large pot for the soup
  • One large pot for the rice noodles
  • Medium-size pan
  • Fine mesh strainer
  • Vegetable peeler

Ingredients
  

For the broth

  • 1 whole raw chicken (bones and meat) broken down to parts
  • 1 medium-size onion, halved
  • 4 oz fresh ginger root
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 anise stars
  • 4 cardamom seeds
  • 4 cloves
  • 4 whole coriander seeds
  • 2 tbsp fish sauce
  • salt to taste

For serving

  • of 14 oz rice noodle container
  • Bunch of fresh mint
  • Bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 1 cup mungo or bean sprouts
  • 2 spring onions, chopped
  • 2 chili peppers
  • 1 lime, wedged
  • ½ red onion, sliced
  • chicken meat from the broth

Instructions

The Chicken Broth

  • Brake down the chicken to parts. Separate the breasts, thighs, wings, and the back. Leave the bones inside of the meat.
  • In a large pot, bring about three gallons of water to boil.
  • When the water reaches the boiling temperature, put the chicken parts into the pot. While the chicken is boiling, foam starts to form on the top of the boiling broth. Skimming the foam is essential the clarify the broth
  • After the meat stops foaming, it's time for spices. Peel the skin off the ginger. Lay the ginger on a cutting board, cover with cling wrap, and slightly break down the ginger with a meat tenderizer to release the flavors. Keep the juices released from the root, and add them to the broth.
  • On a medium-size pan, saute the smashed ginger, onion halves, cinnamon stick, anise, cloves, cardamom seeds, and coriander seeds until the onion turns brown. Add to broth.
  • Pour two tablespoons of fish sauce into the broth, add salt to taste. Cook the broth about four hours total.
  • Take out the chicken bones with meat from the pot, get rid of the bones, and grill the chicken meat in the same pan you sauteed the spices.

Serving Pho

  • Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the box.
  • Prepare the soup bowls. Add a portion of rice noodles into each bowl. Top the noodles with sprouts, sliced red and green onion, grilled sliced chicken meat.
  • Trough a fine mesh strainer, pour the broth into bowls. Serve the herbs (mint and cilantro), sliced red chili pepper, and a lime wedge on the side plate, so that everyone can season the soup according to their preference.