Classic Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga) Recipe

Classic Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

Vietnam – a flavour explosion - by Amy Sinclair

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Vietnamese cuisine is all about balancing the five flavours of sweet, sour, spicy, bitter and salty in every dish. Food markets are everywhere, and the cooking is based on fresh ingredients, with shoppers looking for whatever is in season and harvested that day. In Vietnam, there are three kinds of eating: everyday cooking, An Com; social cooking, An Choi; and festive cooking, An Qua. Qua means ‘gift’ and is often represented by the amazing
flavours in a bowl of noodle soup.

Ingredients

400g/14oz shredded cooked chicken

FOR THE BROTH

3 litres/3½ pints chicken stock

2 star anise

2 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick (about 20g)

1 large onion, unpeeled

300g/11oz piece ginger, unpeeled

1 tbsp golden caster sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tbsp fish sauce, plus extra

1 tbsp brown sugar

TO ASSEMBLE

1-2 packs dried pho noodles

200g/7oz finely chopped spring onions

200g/7oz beansprouts

1 small pack coriander, finely chopped

TO SERVE

4 lime wedges

1-2 chillies, chopped

Method

Heat a grill on high. In a large pan, bring the chicken stock to the boil. Add the star anise, cardamom and cinnamon, and simmer on a low heat.
Cook the onion and ginger in a very hot dry pan for 30 mins, turning halfway. Allow to cool a little before removing the charred skin, wash the onion and ginger, and add whole to the broth.
Simmer the broth for 30 mins, then discard the onion, ginger and whole spices.
Add the sugar, salt and garlic powder, fish sauce and brown sugar to the broth and taste, adjusting with more salt or sugar if needed.
To assemble, cook the noodles following pack instructions, then tip the noodles into your bowls. Arrange the shredded chicken on top and garnish with the spring onions, beansprouts and coriander. Add an extra ½ tsp fish sauce to each ladle of broth and serve with wedges of lime and chilli.