Vietnamese Turkey and Rice Noodles Soup -- Pho Ga Tay

Lately, I have been using turkey more often than chicken because the turkey bones are  perfect for making broth. With this broth on hand, there are many recipes that can be made with turkey broth. Today, I will introduce the popular Vietnamese soup called "Pho", and I will use turkey as a main ingredient. I will share an easy way to prepare this soup since this is a conventional recipe. Furthermore, turkey meat is very lean, and it is also very economical for a family with many mouths to feed.  I bought one turkey for 99 ¢ per lb.. After I used most of the meaty parts of the turkey for other recipes, today I will use both turkey legs for making turkey pho. This is a quick pho, but the taste is fantastic.

Ingredients:

2 turkey legs

15 cups turkey broth

12 oz. fresh rice noodles

Spices:

5 whole cloves

5 star anise

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 stick cinnamon (2 inch length)

Other ingredients:

1 piece of fresh ginger about 2 inches

1 medium white onion

5 shallots

Seasonings:

2 tsp salt

3 tbs fish sauce

1 tsp sugar

Serve with:

Chopped cilantro, green onions, and fresh basil

Fresh hot chili and lime wedges

Directions:

Place ginger, onion (cut in half), and shallots in a baking tray and bake or broil until fragrant or browned (10 to 15 minutes). Remove the shells of onion and shallots and set aside.

Combine all the spices and pan-fry for 2 minutes. 

Place all spices in a special basket which use for this task (as in the following photo).

In a large pot, place the turkey legs, cover with cold water, and bring to boil (boil turkey legs for 3 minutes and drain). This method will ensure that the broth will be clear.

Bring the chicken or turkey broth to boil. Add the turkey legs to the broth (you may have to add more water to cover the meat). Bring to simmer and skim off any residue that rises to the surface. Simmer for 40 minutes and remove the turkey legs.

Bring the broth back to boil and add the spices basket, broiled ginger, onions, and shallots. Simmer for 45 minutes and remove all of the contents in the broth. Season the broth with salt, sugar, and the fish sauce, which will be added during the last minutes of the cooking time.

As you can see that I added celery, carrots, daikon to the broth while cooking turkey legs. This is another way to add more flavor to the meat (optional)

While the broth is cooking, shred the turkey meat.

Cook the rice noodles according to the instructions on the package.  If using fresh noodles, bring a pot of water to boil and cook the fresh noodles for a few seconds.

To serve:

Transfer the drained noodles into a serving bowl. 

Top with shredded turkey, some slices of white onions, cilantro, and green onions. Pour the broth over it. Enjoy the delicious, healthy turkey pho.