Perfectly healthy comfort food at it’s finest! Pho is my ph-avorite!
A few weeks back, a client and me stopped for lunch after a morning of looking at homes. We picked a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho Khang in Park Meadows because we were craving soup and it was locally owned. We both prefer that over chain restaurants. So that being said, we ordered Pho (pronounced PHA). OMG, delicious and to make it better, it was six dollars for the biggest bowl of soup that I have ever seen. It was so big, that we both brought home the leftovers for lunch the next day too! I think the best part of the experience, they bring out the bowl filled with noodles and broth, and then we could make it the way that we wanted to eat it. The Vietnamese culture is onto something for sure.
So, now I’m a Pho mission. It’s healthy, gluten free, delicious and super easy to make at home. I made a big pot of broth this morning so I could enjoy it at lunch today. Turns out to be the perfect day for Pho. It rained all morning, now it’s dumping snow. Yesterday, it was sunny and 65 degrees. Definitely Springtime in the Rockies. They are calling for five to six inches of snow in Denver, but I-70 is already closed going to the mountains. It’s going to be a huge snow weekend at the resorts. Too bad I don’t ski on weekends!
Anyway, try making Pho. Everyone in the family will love it because they can doctor it up anyway they want it. Pho is like a giant healthy hug in a bowl. Comfort food at it’s finest!
- 8 cups beef broth
- 6 star anise
- 2 whole cinnomon sticks
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 2 teaspoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamari (or soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 4 cloves of garlic smashed and left whole
- 1 5 inch piece of fresh ginger, pealed and left whole
- 1/2 teasppon salt
- 3/4 pound of either top sirloin or chicken
- 1 package rice noodles (cooked to package directions)
- Mung bean sprouts
- chopped cilantro
- sliced jalapeno
- sliced green onions
- sliced lime wedges
- Siriacha
- In a large soup pot, add broth, star anise, garlic, cinnamon, ginger, coriander, cloves, fish sauce, sesame sauce, soy sauce and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the soup is very flavorful. Remove, star anise, ginger, cinnamon sticks, cloves and garlic from broth.
- While the broth is cooking place the beef or chicken in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Slice the meat as thin as possible. If using chicken, saute it in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil for about 3 minutes. The hot broth will finish the cooking process.
- To serve, in a large bowl, place cooked noodles and the meat and cover with hot broth. Top with above ingredients to your liking. Serve with Siriacha sauce.