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Vietnamese chicken noodle soup (Pho ga)

Vietnamese Chicken Noodle Soup (Pho Ga)

Vietnamese chicken noodle soup (Pho ga)

Simple fresh flavours, gluten free, and a great mixture of warm fresh and crunchy chicken noodle soup, Pho Ga, is eaten every day in Vietnam. It is common to see mums picking up kids on motorbikes and having a bowl as an after school snack on the roadside.

SERVES: 10 PREP TIME: 20 mins COOK TIME: 90 mins

Ingredients

SOUP

  • 2 free range chickens
  • 5 litres water or stock
  • 5 French shallots – peeled and left whole
  • 1 tablespoon raw unprocessed honey
  • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
  • 5 star anise
  • 1 piece of lemongrass
  • 700 grams small flat rice stick noodles or glass vermicelli noodles

GARNISH

  • chopped chilli, chopped fresh coriander
  • torn fresh Thai basil
  • chopped fresh mint
  • bean sprouts

Method

SPICES

  1. Fry all spices in a pan over a low to medium heat until aroma is released - avoid burning.
  2. Wrap spices in a piece of cheesecloth and tie off into a spice bag or use a large strainer from a teapot.
  3. Place the shallots on a baking tray and grill on high heat for 15 minutes until charred, softened and sweet. Allow to cool.
  4. Gently rub off any blackened spots.

PREPARE THE CHICKEN

  1. Rinse the chicken under cool water and remove the wings.
  2. Par boil the chickens putting them in a large saucepan - cover with water and boil vigorously for 2-3 minutes.
  3. Discard the water and rinse the chickens to get rid of any residue.

STOCK

  1. Put the chickens back into a clean stockpot.
  2. Add 5 litres of water and bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer.
  3. Add the shallots, raw unprocessed honey, spice bag and lemongrass – simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
  4. Remove chickens and run under cold water, let them cool down enough to handle – keep the broth at a gentle simmer and top up with boiling water if necessary.
  5. Use a knife to remove each chicken breast and whole legs (thigh and drumstick) and any other meat you wish. Set aside to completely cool for shredding.
  6. Return the leftover carcass to the stockpot and adjust the heat to simmer the broth gently for 1½ hours.
  7. Once the meat is cool, shred or cut it into the size you want for your soup.
  8. Strain the broth into a saucepan, discarding the carcasses.
  9. Assemble the Pho bowls. If using noodles, cook them separately until just tender.
  10. Prepare all the garnishes such as chilli, fresh coriander, fresh Thai basil, fresh mint and bean sprouts using amounts of your choice depending on how many people you are serving and place them on a plate for the table.
  11. Ladle broth, noodles and chicken into bowls.

To Serve

It is great fun to choose your favourite garnishes and a personalised touch to your soup.

Dietary Requirements

Gluten Free  |  Dairy Free  |  Sugar Free  |  Yeast Free  |  Soy Free  |  Egg Free  |  Nut Free  

Filed under

Gluten free,  Dairy free

  • By Bridging Foods, An introduction to gluten, dairy and yeast free eating.

    Learning to eat and cook gluten, dairy, salt, yeast and sugar free, can be the beginnings of making different choices about food.

  • Photography: Lee Green
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