Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

Vietnamese chicken or beef noodle soup (Pho ga or bo) is the signature soup of Vietnam, and it is sold throughout the country. Since 1975, after the Vietnam war ended, the Vietnamese boat people fled their country with this simple recipe and turned it into a millions dollar business abroad called Pho. Each cook has his/her own secret to make pho perfect and takes a vow to keep the recipe a well hidden family secret generation after generation. After enjoying a bowl of Pho in each restaurant, one can realize a slight difference in the broth and wonder what is the difference in each bowl. However, still no one knows because it is a multimillion dollar business, which helped the Vietnamese boat people to survive and later became successful in foreign countries, and as a result the secret has stayed hidden. Some other Asian countries, such as Laos, Thailand, and China, claim that Pho is its cuisine, but Pho Vietnam has earned its name because of its distinctive way of flavoring the broth. The well-known chain of Pho restaurants among Westerners is Pho Hoa, because Hoa Pho is less traditional and more in line with the Westerner's taste. The difficult-to-please Vietnamese people will agree with the assertion that Pho Hoa is not a real bowl of Pho because the flavor of the soup has a too light, less fatty broth. The Pho Hoa restaurant soup suits the demands of healthy eating in America. Living in America for more than 20 years, I agree with Pho Hoa for making Pho healthier using meats instead of beef bones when making broth. The two main components to make a good Pho are the broth and the spicy bag – cinnamon stick, star anise, fennel seeds, clove, and coriander seeds. Other types of vegetables, such as ginger, shallot, and yellow onions are used to flavor the broth, as well. Adding the spicy bag into the broth and removing it in a timely manner is very important, as well, because it gives the broth just the right amount of flavor but not cloud the broth. Without beef bones, the broth will not have a lot of fat, which is what the Vietnamese people believe beef Pho should contain. I always prefer chicken pho because making it is easier and much healthier. The free-range chicken is preferred for Pho Ga, but if it is not available, regular chicken is fine. The chicken Pho recipe here is very easy to prepare at home so Pho can be made regularly to entertain guests without a sweat.
Ingredients:
12 cups homemade chicken broth (posted on April, 17, 2012)
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
3 tbs fish sauce
One bunch of green onions, white part only
Vegetables:
2 oz fresh ginger, about 3 inch
4 shallots
1 large yellow onion
Spicy bag (use cheesecloth):
1 Saigon cinnamon stick, about 4 inches
4 cloves
4 star anise
2 tsp coriander seeds
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
Serving:
2 oz fresh rice noodles, each (banh pho tuoi)
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup chopped green onions
Beans sprouts, basil (que), mints (hung), culantro (ngo gai)
Lime wedges, jalapeno, sliced
Hoisin sauce, hot chili sauce (tuong an Pho)
Vinegar, white or red onions (optional)

Directions:
In a baking pan, place ginger, shallots and yellow onions and broil in the oven until blackened. Remove, peel off the charred skin from all of them. Wrap them in cheesecloth for easy removal after cooking.
In a nonstick pan, dry-roast the spicy bag ingredients until fragrant (about 2 to 3 min.). Wrap this spicy bag in the cheesecloth as well (investing in a large tea bag maker will do the trick).
Bring the chicken stock to a boil. Add both the spicy bag and charred vegetable bag into the boiling stock. Turn the heat down to simmer. Add the white part of the green onions into the broth and continue to flavor the broth for 45 minutes. Remove the spicy bag, the vegetable bag, and white parts of green onions. Discard these solids. Season the broth with salt and fish sauce. While the broth is simmering, prepare the chicken breasts by bringing 4 cups of water to boil. Add the meets. Return to boil for 15 minutes, skimming off the foam or scum several times. Cover and turn the heat off . Let the chicken breasts continue to cook in the hot water undisturbed.
Slice the white onions to paper thin and place in a bowl. Before serving, add 3 tbs vinegar on top of the onions if intending to serve as side dish.
Remove chicken breasts and slice into bite-size pieces (about 3 or 4 inches long and 1/4 inch thick)
About 15 minutes before serving, bring 3 quarts of water to boil and add rice noodles for a few seconds and then quickly drain out in colander.

To assemble and serve the chicken Pho.

Distribute the cooked noodles among the bowls (one bowl for each guest). Then top the noodles with chicken breast and a few slices of white onions. Sprinkle with cilantro and green onions. Immediately pour the hot broth to cover the ingredients in each bowl. Serve on the side a plate with bean sprouts with all the herbs, lemon wedges, and hoisin-chili sauce.

Fish And Mushrooms à la Grecque

À la Grecque refers to the Greek style of cooking, using olive oil, lemon juice, herbs and spices. These ingredients and technique are similar to any cuisine's poaching technique to cook fish or vegetables. Apply this technique to everyday cooking, which is a very simple and healthy way to enjoy food. I think the ingredients can be changed for individual taste and availabilities and also by adding seafood or go strictly vegetarian. There is no rule for this recipe.
Ingredients:
Two 6 oz white firm fish
1 large beefsteak tomato
1/2 lb button mushrooms
Poaching cooking liquid:
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine (good enough to drink)
1 shallot, finely chopped
1 garlic, crushed
4 coriander seeds, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of parsley
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
2 tsp lemon juice

Garnish with finely chopped parsley

Directions:
Score a cross into the top of tomato. Plunge the tomato into boiling water for 30 seconds. Then drain and peel the skin away from the tomato. Remove the cores and chop the tomato.
In a nonstick pan, put the chopped tomato with all the poaching cooking liquid ingredients listed above the lemon juice. Add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover the pan, add mushrooms, and simmer further for an additional 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon and lift out the mushrooms. Place them in a serving place.
Place the fish into the poaching liquid and poach fish for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Lift out the fish and place together with mushrooms.
Boil the cooking liquid rapidly until the liquid is reduced to half of the current volume (might be about 1/2 cup left). Remove the bay leaf, thyme, and parsley. Add lemon juice and season with more salt and black pepper, if needed. Pour liquid over fish and mushrooms. Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley.

Basic Soup Stock

The secret of making good soup is using a good quality vegetable or meat stock. In my family’s restaurant (Vietnam Little Home), every week my mother made 40 quarts of meat stock. She was so proud of her stock that she believed no restaurant could serve delicious soup or stir-fried dishes like hers. It is quite simple for restaurants to make a good stock because they use the bones left from the preparation of beef, chicken or pork dishes as the base for making good meat stock. My restaurant always had two kinds of stocks, meat stock and vegetable stock, so vegetarian customers had the option to choose. However, the best way to make a delicious soup stock depends on the amount of attention to details and the patience required, such as washing meat bones very well with vinegar and salt, controlling the temperature, skimming the froth, scum, or fat during the simmering stage. Today, commercial stocks are very well made, but in just a minimal amount of time required to make stocks at home, these homemade stocks always taste better. I use my mother's stock recipe, but I made some changes to suit the small kitchen. The way I make basic stock is so easy and without flavoring so that it can be used to make dishes of different cuisines. I believe that cooking should always be simple and fun. In the Vietnamese cuisine, the well-known soup for Westerners is beef or chicken noodle soup (pho bo, ga), which for beginner cooks is often too intimidating for them to try to make at home . To get over this fear, the first thing is to make a good beef or chicken stock. This stock is not just for making Pho but also is the foundation of all kinds of recipes for soups, stews or stir-fried dishes. Last but not least is kombu stock that is the Japanese 's basic stock, and it became the secret of Japanese cooking. What follows is the unveiling of all the stocks with a very simple way to make them.
Basic Meat Stock:
4 lbs. of beef or pork bones Or flank steak
4 lbs. chicken bones or chicken legs and thighs
4 quarts of water (16 cups)
1 oz salt
2 oz rock sugar
1 large onion
2 carrots, cut up


Directions:
Soak bones in a large container filled with 12 cups of water, 1/2 cup vinegar and 1/4 cup of salt for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, wash and dry the bones.
Bring 16 cups of water to a boil. Drop the bones into the hot water and let cook for 5 minutes. This procedure will help to reduce the time necessary for skimming the scum or fat during the simmering stage. Pour the bones into and wash again in cold water.
Bring 16 cups of water to a boil and drop the partly cooked bones into the boiling water. Turn heat to medium low. Skim off the froth, scum, or fat until the broth is clear (about 10 minutes). Add salt and rock sugar and continue to simmer the broth for 3 hours.
Discard the bones. Let the broth cool. Then strain broth through cheesecloth to remove any residue still remaining. Ladle the broth into a container. Cover with lid and freeze for later use.
This basic stock is perfect for making beef noodle soup, also called Hanoi beef noodle soup (Pho bo Hanoi). For healthy version of meat stock, use the meats instead of bones for both of beef and chicken

Chicken stock:
4 to 7 lbs. of whole chicken or the chicken parts, like wings, necks, legs or bones
1 large onion
1 oz fresh ginger, smashed
4 green onions, sliced into 3 inch lengths or 1 large leek
2 carrots, cut up
2 oz rock sugar
1 oz salt

Directions:
In a large soup pot, about 8 quarts, bring 14 cups of water to a boil. Put all the ingredients into the boiling water . Skim off scum and fat . Reduce heat to simmer for 2 hours. Discard the cooked meat and strain stock through cheesecloth. Let it cool off and store broth in refrigerator or freezer.
This stock is used for making chicken noodle soup or Pho Ga, Mien ga.

If making seafood soup or stews, the basic fish stock is made as follows:

4 lbs of fish bones and heads, rinsed, dried and cut into pieces (use white fish, such as cod, milkfish, sole, or pike)
3 tbs butter
2 leeks, white part only
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 oz mushrooms, sliced
Fresh parsley sprigs with stems, fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tbs white peppercorn, crushed
Peel of 1 lemon
2 cups white wine
6 cups water

Directions:
Melt butter in a heavy 8 quart pot over medium heat. Add fish and all the vegetables. Cook until the vegetables are translucent, about 7 to 10 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients into the pot. Bring mixture to a slow simmer. Reduce heat to where the liquid barely simmers. Do not let liquid boil, because the broth will be cloudy. Continue skimming foam that rises to the surface as necessary until the stock is rich in flavor, about 30 minutes.
Strain stock through cheesecloth and let it cool off before freezing.


For vegetable and kombu stock as posted on January 2, 2012

Earthy Yogurt-Baked Fish Fillet

This original recipe came from the Indian cuisine. I changed a few spices for my own taste and am very happy with the result. The yogurt, lemon juice, and other spices makes my kitchen a fantastic aromatic, earthy place every time I prepare this dish.
Ingredients:
Two 6 oz fish fillets
Spicy mix
1/4 cup yogurt
2 tbs lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tsp honey
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp clove powder
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbs soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs peanut oil

Garnish with chopped green onion and cilantro leaves

Directions:
In mixing bowl combine all the spicy mix ingredients.

Place fish in a baking dish and pour the marinade on top. Let fish marinate in the spicy mixture for 30 minutes. Preheat oven set to 400° and bake fish for 15 minutes. In the last 3 minutes of baking time, sprinkle with green onions and cilantro. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Simmered Fish in Clay Pot

In Vietnam, savory, delightful fish that cooks in clay pots are well deserved and served throughout the country. Each region, Hanoi, Hue, and Saigon has slightly different tastes while making this dish. In Hanoi, the fish has the flavor of galangal and has a saltier taste. In Hue, this dish is prepared with more hot chilies, garlic, and shallots. Finally, in Saigon it is made more in line with a Westerner's taste. I remember that because this dish was the most ordered in my family's restaurant; We used fish fillets to prepare this fish to cut the time for quick cooking in the restaurant, but for home cooking, any kind of fish with bones can be used and the bones will add more flavor to the dish. I prepared this dish for myself using trout simmering with spicy cooking liquid in a clay pot to make a delightful meal.
Ingredients:
1 medium trout, cut into 3 inch pieces
4 green onions cut into 3 inch lengths
1/2 cup chicken stock
Spicy cooking liquid:
5 shallots, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
5 dried hot chilies
2 tbs fish sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
1 tsp salt
2 tsp molasses*
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp honey
1/4 cup oil

Directions:
In a clay pot over medium heat, add oil and sauté shallots, garlic until fragrant. Stir in dried chilies and molasses. Add the rest of the ingredients of spicy cooking liquid and 1/2 cup of chicken stock. Bring to boil and place fish into the clay pot.

 Cover and turn heat to low. Continue simmering the fish for 1 hour.

During the last 15 minutes, simmer the fish uncovered so the liquid is absorbed. Add green onions during the last 5 minutes of cooking time. Serve with rice.

*Traditionally, this dish uses a caramelized sugar liquid to add an amber color to the dish; Molasses can be substituted and adds a nice color as well. Add fresh chilies if you want it spicier.

Poule Au Pot - Braise Chicken

Poule Au Pot is chicken cooked in a pot with herbs and vegetables. It is a French dish first served when Henry IV wanted his chicken in one pot for a lazy Sunday meal. I think for a king this dish is not fancy at all. Perhaps he had so many elegant meals during the week, and this dish helped him to unwind while the servants probably had a day off . I am definitely not a queen, but nothing can stop me from enjoying the dish used once served to a king. This dish actually is very simple. The chicken is simply cooked with its own broth, and the vegetables are added in the last few minutes of cooking time and served along with the bird. It is imperative to use a free-range chicken for the best flavor, but it is not required. As common folks, just use whatever is available. Flavor the broth well with fresh herbs and cut the cooking time for the bird to achieve the best result for the Poule Au Pot.
Equipment:
Large pot
Kitchen twine
Cheesecloth

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (3 to 4 1/2 lbs)
1 tsp salt

Broth:
2 cups white wine
10 cups  Water
1 white onion, halved
1 carrot, roughly chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
5 sprigs of parsley
10 juniper berries
10 black peppercorns
1 leek,  cut into 2 inch segments

Garnish with:
2 carrots, cut into bite size pieces
2 Yukon potatoes, cut into chunks
2 cups white cabbage

Directions:
Season the chicken with salt and wrap it up with cheesecloth.

 Cooking the chicken in cheesecloth with help it keep its shape. Put into a large pot. Put carrots, celery, leek, white onion, bay leaves, parsley, peppercorns, juniper berries, and garlic into another cheesecloth (this will help to skim off any scum from the broth easily and to remove the pouch of cooked vegetables more easily).

 Cover with white wine and water and bring to a simmering point. Cook on a very low heat for 20 minutes. Season again, if needed. Cover with lid. Turn heat off and let chicken slowly finish cooking in the hot broth. Lift out the chicken and drain on a tray. Discard the cooked vegetables. Add all the garnishes into the pot; Turn the heat on and cook until the carrots and potatoes are tender.
To serve:
Remove the skin from the chicken and carve. Then serve with the cooked vegetables. Strain the cooking liquid and serve as a broth to start the meal. The rest of the broth can be frozen and used later for soup or stock.

Seeds & Nuts Cookies

This basic recipe is for Chinese almond cookies, and they are easy to make. One day when my friend showed up with her kid, I wanted to make these cookies, but I did not have almonds so, and in the house. I replaced almonds with one cup of a mixture of seeds and nuts, and they turned out perfect. Because it is so simple, that I could engage her kid to help, and we had a lot of fun while making these cookies.
Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbs water
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup total of seeds and nuts (sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, peanuts, sesame seeds)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine water, baking soda and baking powder in a small bowl.
Melt butter or margarine and beat in sugar. Beat in egg and baking soda mixture for 3 minutes. Add flour, seeds and nuts mixture and form large dough ball.
Divide large dough into 20 smaller balls and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Use back of spoon to lightly flatten the cookie balls. Bake in oven for 20 minutes.