Quick Chicken Pho

This is my first Daring Cooks challenge.  If you’re new to the Daring Kitchen, the idea is someone chooses a recipe that has an element of a challenge and everyone signed up to group makes it. On the ‘reveal’ date, we post our efforts to our respective blogs.  There’s one group for baking called the Daring Bakers. Recently, the Kitchen added the Daring Cooks group for cooking. I’ve done a few of the Daring Bakers challenges and I’ve always come out a bit more of a better and a more daring baker. I was hoping for the same for the Daring Cooks’ challenge  and it didn’t disappoint.

The October 2009 Daring Cooks’ challenge was brought to us by Jaden of the blog Steamy Kitchen. The recipes are from her new cookbook, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook.

I once went to a Pho making master class at Vietnamese restaurant but I have no idea what I did with those notes and anyway, the whole process looked daunting to say the least.

The recipe that Jaden Hair gave us for the challenge was a quick version where you could use pre-made chicken stock (I used cubes!). I cooked it for my turn at hosting Stitch-n-Bitch. The hardest part of the recipe was probably buying all the ingredients (this ain’t no 4 ingredient dish… ) and slicing the Spanish onions. Once everything’s bought, it was surprisingly easy to put together. I ended up cooking the soup for an extra 15-20 minutes because I forgot to prepare the rice noodles.

The verdict… it was very good. Because I still had heaps of ingredients left over, I cooked it again a couple of nights later for my family. It does leave quite a strong smell in the kitchen afterwards. The following evening, it was still quite aromatic. Fortunately, it smells delicious. Unfortunately, it just makes me want to eat more…

Here’s my bowl of Pho just before I started eating it…

Here’s Jaden’s recipe which applies to the chicken, pork, seafood and veg versions (see below for links to the beef variation and a longer chicken one):

Variations – Pho:

1. You like: chicken, beef, pork, seafood or vegetarian/vegan.

2. Use same spices as listed in the chicken Pho recipe for pork, seafood and vegetarian/vegan variations. The beef variation lists it’s unique spices in the recipe.

Equipment:

• Frying pan
• Large stockpot
• Tongs
• Strainer, sieve or colander
• Bowls for serving

Preparation Time: 45 cooking time + 15 minutes to cook noodles based on package directions

Servings: Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

For the Chicken Pho Broth:
2 tbsp. whole coriander seeds
4 whole cloves
2 whole star anise
2 quarts (2 liters/8 cups/64 fluid ounces) store-bought or homemade chicken stock
1 whole chicken breast (bone in or boneless)
½ onion
1 3-inch (7.5 cm) chunk of ginger, sliced and smashed with side of knife
1 to 2 tbsps. sugar
1 to 2 tbsps. fish sauce

1 lb. (500 grams/16 ounces) dried rice noodles (about ¼ inch/6 mm wide)

Accompaniments:

2 cups (200 grams/7 ounces) bean sprouts, washed and tails pinched off
Fresh cilantro (coriander) tops (leaves and tender stems)
½ cup (50 grams/approx. 2 ounces) shaved red onions
½ lime, cut into 4 wedges
Sriracha chili sauce
Hoisin sauce
Sliced fresh chili peppers of your choice

Directions:

To make the Chicken Pho Broth: heat a frying pan over medium heat. Add the coriander seeds, cloves and star anise and toast until fragrant, about 3-4 minutes. Immediately spoon out the spices to avoid burning.

In a large pot, add all the ingredients (including the toasted spices) and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface frequently.

Use tongs to remove the chicken breasts and shred the meat with your fingers, discarding the bone if you have used bone-in breasts.

Taste the broth and add more fish sauce or sugar, if needed. Strain the broth and discard the solids.
Prepare the noodles as per directions on the package.

Ladle the broth into bowls. Then divide the shredded chicken breast and the soft noodles evenly into each bowl.

Have the accompaniments spread out on the table. Each person can customize their own bowl with these ingredients.

Jaden’s beef Pho recipe is different, and you can also try a longer Chicken Pho recipe.