Chicken Pho (Pho Ga)

Star Anise Broth • Rice Noodles • Herbs — Vietnam

Vietnam's luminous noodle soup. The broth must be clear and deeply aromatic: charred ginger and onion, toasted star anise and cinnamon, and chicken poached gently so the broth never boils hard.

Ingredients

• 900 g — Whole chicken or bone-in thighs (2 lb)
• 300 g — Flat rice noodles / bánh phở
• 150 g — Onion, halved & charred
• 60 g — Fresh ginger, charred (a thumb)
• 3 pc — Star anise
• 6 g — Cinnamon stick + cloves
• 45 ml — Fish sauce (3 Tbsp)
• 12 g — Rock sugar or granulated sugar (1 Tbsp)
• 100 g — Bean sprouts (2 cups)
• 40 g — Thai basil, cilantro, lime, chili, to serve
• 2400 ml — Water (10 cups)

Step-by-Step Method

1. Char & toast the aromatics. Char the onion and ginger halves directly over a flame or under the broiler until blackened in spots. Toast the star anise, cinnamon and cloves in a dry pan until fragrant. These two steps are where pho's perfume comes from.
2. Build a clear broth. Chicken in cold water, bring slowly to a bare simmer and skim every bit of foam in the first 15 minutes. Add charred aromatics, spices, sugar and salt. Simmer gently 45 minutes — a rolling boil makes pho cloudy forever.
3. Poach, shred, season. Lift the chicken out, shred the meat, return the bones if you like for another 15 minutes. Strain the broth and season with fish sauce — it should taste slightly too seasoned on its own; the noodles will mute it.
4. Assemble the bowls. Noodles soaked or blanched until just tender, into warm bowls with shredded chicken. Ladle over broth at a rolling boil. Sprouts, herbs, lime and chili go on at the table — each eater seasons their own bowl.

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